You Can't Wither Me Down
by RavenBlaze4850
Summary: She didn't know what was going on. Not until after starting to play Minecraft: Story Mode with her brother. Now finding herself in the story itself, she hopes that stopping the storm will lead her back home. (Rated T just to be safe, WILL HAVE SLOW UPDATES)
1. Prologue: Pixelated

**First MCSM story with the title coming from a fusion of a song and a pun. (Yeah, that's how I made the title) I'm gonna use Male Jesse here rather than Female Jesse. I once got the idea of making both Jesse's as twins but I decided against it. Just saying. I'm also planning to make a companion book for the things that aren't MCSM related. Also Gabriela will mostly be called as Gabby in narration. Now, enjoy the prologue.**

* * *

Prologue: Pixelated

"Gab? Oh, get up, Gabriela, it's here! Story Mode is finally here"

"Okay, Cedric. Calm yourself. Did I took my afternoon nap too late?"

"Yeah. It's already sunset."

A 15-year-old girl woke up and saw her brother looking excited in glee. The girl has chestnut brown hair and vivid green eyes. The boy, Cedric had shaggy red hair and blue eyes. He was 14, younger than the girl Gabriela. Gabriela joined Cedric in his room as she started up his Xbox One.

"Here's the disc."Cedric smiled as he handed her the case."I can't wait to play. Though I still feel a little sad for Ms. Hudtome. Your dad as one of the employees that made this game replaced her. I guess he's now on California."

"Correction, **our** dad, Cedric."Gabby gave a comforting smile as she inserted the game disc."You may be living in an orphanage then, but you're now part of the Peletier family now. I'm sure Ms. Hudtome will find a great job somewhere around France."

"Thanks, sis."Cedric hugged Gabby as she handed the controller to him, now waiting for the game to start."I can't wait to see you survive this."

"You think? You're still stuck at building a Nether Portal, I've already defeated the Ender Dragon on the original Minecraft and I'm currently experimenting Redstone."Gabby remarked.

"And you lost all of your valuables afterwards since the dragon gave a major nudge on you."Cedric chuckled.

"That's an understatement."Gabby rolled her eyes as they chuckled. Soon the title screen of the game showed up and Cedric clicked "Play".

"Well, what are you waiting for?"Gabby smiled."I can't hold the tension and the suspense forever."

Shrugging, Cedric clicked the first episode of Minecraft Story Mode, when the screen suddenly blacked out. Suddenly, Gabby felt a continuous tickle on her feet. She looked down and gasped. Her feet were rapidly dissolving into white pixels that continue to stretch to her clothes.

Seeing this, Cedric clung to her right hand, fear both creeping the siblings. "What the heck is going on?"He asked, sweating fear while at it.

"I don't know."Gabby said. At this point, the pixels were at her chest and now felt like tiny needles continuously piercing her. Gabby has to raise her arms to keep them from dissolving as she bit her tongue from screaming in pain."Why am I even- AAH!"She then screamed, the dissolving getting painful by the second until she only saw white, the pixels finally catching up to her eyes. She then passed out as the pixels dissolved her entire body.

* * *

Cedric's face was wrapped in fear as he saw his sister vanish in pixels before his eyes. The white pixels then split into two, transferring into the CD case and the screen. The screen turned on again, but Cedric noticed something different.

On the title card of the first episode "The Order of the Stone", along with the main characters Cedric got to know at, he noticed a girl that he didn't see before. The girl had short dark brown hair with a white diamond-shaped hair clip on the right, emerald green eyes, fair skin, and wore a lavender t-shirt with blue buttons. He then looked at the CD case and saw the same girl again. He noticed she was wearing grey leggings and black shoes with a determined look on her face.

Cedric knew her well. She often goofed around his Minecraft avatar. Cedric then glanced at one of the picture frames depicting his family. Mr. Pascal Peletier, his wife Leah (who dyed her brown hair red so Cedric feels right at home), Gabriela and he were smiling happily. It took three blinks for Cedric to realize that Gabriela's picture was gradually vanishing, as if she didn't live with him.

"My sister just got zapped into my game..."He muttered."The heck?"

"Forget her, Cedric."A bewitching female voice said calmly yet firmly at his mind."Forget that she exist with you. Forget that she was your sister. She's doesn't belong here anymore."

"Forget Gabriela."Cedric said, his voice shaking."Forget my sister."

"Yes."

"No way. Call me crazy but I don't care. She's my sister."Cedric replied, much more firmly than the voice. He got no answer, but he didn't care. He then clicked 'START' before listening to the opening narration.

 _Nothing built can last forever, and every legend no matter how great, fades with time._

 _With each passing year, more and more details are lost until all that remains are myths... half truths. To put it simply: lies._

 _And yet, in all the known universe, between here and the Far Lands..._

 _The legend of the ORDER OF THE STONE endures, unabridged, as self-evident fact._

 _Indeed, it is only a troubled land that has need for heroes-_

 _And ours was fortunate to have, so long ago, four heroes such as these:_

 _Gabriel the Warrior: Before whose swords all combatants would tremble._

 _Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer: Whose machines would spark an era of invention._

 _Magnus the Rogue: Who would channel his destructive creativity for the benefit of all._

 _And Soren the Architect: Builder of Worlds. And leader of the Order of the Stone._

 _These FOUR friends together, would give so to gain their rightful place as FOUR heroes._

 _Their greatest quest would take them on a dangerous journey to fight a mysterious creature known as the Ender Dragon._

 _In the end, The Order of the Stone emerged victorious and the dragon was defeated. Their story complete, they slipped away into the pages of legend._

 _But when one story ends, another one begins._

Cedric's one thought before listening to the first dialogue was this:

 _Gabriela's trapped in the game. I'm the only one who know that she's still here. I only hope she would be fine on her own._

* * *

 **Okay, the Prologue is kinda short and as much as I want to join Gabriela's reaction as she joins the group, I felt it's gonna be too long.**

 **So, about how Gabriela was pixelated to the story and Cedric resisting a voice about forgetting stuff, this talks of an another fandom. I'm gonna let you guys guess what fandom it is (there's subtle clues to help you out) because that particular fandom is where I will write this story's companion story.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	2. Chapter 1: Protect the Build

**Well, Chapter 1 is finally here. This took me a long time since I decided to put in a different perspective.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft: Story Mode or its characters.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Protect the Build

Feeling fire and needles touch her continuously is one of the painful feelings Gabby has ever experienced. She tried to bite her lip, trying to hold back her screams of the intense pain. Soon, the pain subsided from what felt like forever (but only it was about a minute) but she felt… blocky than usual.

With no pain holding her back, Gabby slowly opened her eyes but quickly shut them tight upon seeing the blinding sun. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She was in a forest but does not have enough trees to consider it one. She looked behind her and saw a tree with a wooden trunk.

"Why the world felt so blocky all of a sudden?"Gabby thought aloud to herself. No one answered. Confused and desperately seeking answers, she quickly punched the tree to cool herself.

The punch was so hard that a piece of a block shaped wood fell out of it. That snapped Gabby's mind into quick thinking.

"Those white pixels zapped me into Minecraft."She thought as she looked at herself, wearing exactly the same clothing her Minecraft avatar does. "It's possible if I got into Cedric's game, but that's just impossible."

"Cedric doesn't exist here anymore, young lady. No one will believe you had a brother."A male voice on her mind hissed, and Gabby felt her brain contracting, giving her a sharp pain in the head.

"Shut up, whoever you are."Gabby snapped. "If you sent me here on purpose…"

"Maybe I did, maybe I don't."The voice chuckled. "I'm just following orders."

"Get out of my head."Gabby growled before she felt her brain loosening. She shook her head and sighed as she walked on a random direction, lost in thought.

"Am I ever reaching home at this?"She asked herself when she heard someone chatting that stopped at her tracks.

"I heard a pretty juicy rumor about the building competition, but you guys have to promise not to say anything."She heard a large boy wearing a green sweater talk to two people as they walk.

A skinner boy wearing a white shirt with red straps and light blue trousers and a girl having her hair in pigtails accompanied the large boy. A pig wearing an Ender Dragon costume also joined them. Gabby chuckled at the pig. It looked cute in her opinion.

"Okay."The girl said. Fearing that the group might spot her, Gabby quickly hid at a tree to listen secretly, occasionally sneaking to another tree as they moved away from her distance.

"Also, it's in two parts, each part more exciting than the last!"The large boy continued.

"Spit it out Axel!"The skinny boy bluntly stated.

The large boy, Axel, replied. "Part one: The special guest at this year's Endercon is none other than Gabriel the Warrior him-freaking-self!"

"Whoa, what's part two?!"The skinny boy asked at Axel, probably excited.

"Part two. According to my sources, the winner of the building competition's gonna get to meet him."Axel replied. "It doesn't mean anything if we lose. But if we win… oh man, this would make up for all the losing."

"Meeting Gabriel would be a dream and an honor."The skinny boy commented.

"Totally. He's awesome. It'd be amazing to meet him."The girl agreed.

"Reuben better be careful with that costume. The last time Gabriel saw a dragon, it didn't End well."Axel remarked.

"So the pig's name is Reuben. That's just cute!"Gabby smiled as she continued sneaking up on the group to hear them. She then saw posters hanging on trees and the girl making a remark about a source making posters for a living.

"Well, that escalated quickly."She muttered, rolling her eyes as she continued listening to the group. The boy said something about a building competition to win with placing an Enderman design on top of it. Soon seeing the group split to get more materials, she sighed.

"I guess I should get wood for now. If I'm lucky, I could craft a pickaxe and mine stone. I can't wait to see this competition and visit Endercon."She mused before she began to work.

* * *

Gabby found herself lucky throughout her first day on Minecraft. She was able to chop 25 wood blocks including her first wood block, and craft a wooden sword and a wooden pickaxe. She also mined 20 stone blocks before she crafted a stone sword and a stone pickaxe.

"That should do it."Gabby said as she began breaking her crafting table to keep it, throwing the wooden sword and the wooden pickaxe also. Seeing the group regrouped together and went forward to their building competition, she then trudged forward in excitement, sneaking on them as they lead her to the building competition, seeing the participants chatting with each other.

"We're the Order of the Pig."The skinny boy said to the lady at the front desk.

"Really?"The girl deadpanned.

"Hey, at least you have a cute pig to be your mascot!"Gabby thought.

"Is it meant to tie us to Reuben? Or are you making fun of me?"Axel replied. Gabby rolled her eyes as the group headed to Booth 5. Feeling no reason to sneak on the group, Gabby approached the woman in the desk.

"Hey, I want to see the building competition."Gabby said casually.

"Go ahead, miss…"The woman paused before she spoke."I'm gonna need to record your name as one of the spectators."

Gabby thought quickly. One way or another, she cannot trust almost everyone with her real name. She learned that the hard way of being kidnapped by a girl jealous of her looks. If not for quick wits, she would probably be a goner.

"Raven. Can I come in?"Gabby smiled as she said her Minecraft avatar name. **(Author's Note: From now on, Gabby will be called Raven for the rest of the story. I'll tell you when she'll be called Gabby again soon.)**

"Sure, the competition is about to start."The woman shrugged. Smiling in gratitude, Raven entered the gate and observed each of the contestants, mostly looking at Booth 4 and 5.

A girl holding a pickaxe approached the "Order of the Pig". Raven listened to the conversation, about the girl telling the skinny boy that they could get along with their arrogant rivals before she left.

"May the best team win."The skinny boy grinned.

"Careful what you wish for."A blonde boy wearing a black jacket warned. Raven heard the skinny boy muttered something, but she didn't understand it as the woman who let her in spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Endercon Building Competition."She announced, as people cheered. "The winners of this year's competition will have their build featured at Endercon; the winners will also meet, in person, Gabriel the Warrior!"

"This is gonna be so much fun."Raven thought, amused.

"Building… starts… NOW!"The woman announced as the participants get to work.

* * *

Raven looked at Booth 5's work. A firework dispenser is cool, in her opinion, she hasn't tried building it before. She then witnessed the group build an Enderman in the front of the dispenser.

Raven looked at everyone's works from Booth one to five. So far, she thought only Booth 4 (which was a beacon, she overheard at the conversation) and Booth 5.

Fireworks then shot up in the blue sky. Raven looked up and was amazed. Booth 5, aka The Order of the Pig, is going to win.

"Good build, man!"She heard someone admired the group's work. She glanced at one of the members of Booth 4 and saw his face turn into disbelief.

"What? No way… It's just a bunch of dyed wool!"He scowled before he intentionally punched a block of stone holding off lava. "Whoops…"

The pouring lava burned the pig, Reuben, and he ran away out of the building competition. Raven scowled at the boy, looking in the lava in fear, as if he did not break the stone. That was just cheating!

Seeing the group chase their pig, Raven quickly grabbed her leftover stone blocks and began to place it to stop the lava from flowing.

"Miss Raven, you're not allowed to place stone blocks since you're not a participant."The woman said sternly.

"Well, I have to do that or someone's hard work will burn into flames."Raven defended when the boy who burned Reuben pushed her.

"You know, as much as beautiful as you are, you are really not supposed to do that."The boy gritted his teeth in anger before he smirked. "If you haven't done that… maybe we could-"

"I know what you're saying and the answer is a one big fat NO."Raven spat as she stood up. Of course she's going to encounter people trying to be with her, but Raven can tell that the boy she's mad at just wanted her because of how beautiful she is, whether real life or Minecraft. "You should be ashamed of yourself, mister-"

The boy quickly drew his sword at her. "I do what I want-"

"Aiden, that's enough!"The blonde boy she once saw chat with the skinny boy glared at his friend. The boy threatening her, Aiden, reluctantly drew back his sword.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky."Aiden snarled as he left to join his group. Raven sighed as she looked at the woman hosting the event took notes before she then announced.

"The winning group for this year's Endercon building competition is none other than…"She paused before breaking the silent suspense. "The Order of the Pig!"

The crowd erupted into cheers of joy, including Raven. That was some interesting build. A fireworks dispenser with an Enderman building in the front is a winner to her.

"Now, where are our winners?"The woman asked. In response, the crowd was in a blurry of whispers and mutters. Soon the crowd gradually left the place.

"How are they gonna feature the build in Endercon?"Raven asked aloud in thought.

"Is this your first time seeing the competition?"She turned around and saw the blonde boy again. "Oh, and I'm sorry for Aiden. He's too used of winning these competitions."

Raven nodded. "Apology accepted. But how are…"

"They're gonna examine the build up close then they'll build it at Endercon."The blonde boy answered. "They do that every year. I forgot to mention though, the name's Lukas."

"Raven, but you already know that."Raven shrugged.

"I'm going to head to Endercon with my team now. Nice to meet you, Raven."Lukas greeted before he left.

"Same to you as well."Raven smiled.

"What just happened?"Raven turned and saw the only girl in the "Order of the Pig" ran to the competition, exhausted. "Who won?"

"Hey, goggle girl. Are you a member of the "Order of the Pig"?"The woman asked. So far, the woman, the girl and Raven are the only ones left in the place. Everyone left for Endercon.

"Yeah. Why?"The girl just replied.

"Well, your team has won the building competition and I would appreciate it if you can tell me how to build it so it can be shown at Endercon."The woman said casually. "Where are your teammates?"

"I can't believe it."The girl said, surprised. "Miss, here's how we built the firework dispenser." She then rattled off, saying all what the materials that are needed for building of the firework dispenser.

"Oh, goggle girl."The woman said after the girl finished telling how to build their winning work. "Someone almost burned your work. You're lucky that the other girl waiting in here protected it."

The woman then left, and before Raven blinked her eyes thrice, she was crushed by the hug of the girl, smiling in gratitude.

"Thank you. I thought my group will never win, but we did. I owe you…"

"Raven."Raven greeted.

"My name's Olivia."The girl, Olivia, introduced herself as she held Raven's hand as they head off to Endercon. "I can't wait to see the faces of Axel and Jesse after they found Reuben."

* * *

 **So how was it? Good? Bad? Meh? I'm sorry if Olivia acted Out of Character in your opinions.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	3. Chapter 2: EnderCon

**I am back with a new chapter. Sorry if this is short. Oh and I just have to insert one of the guest reviewers of my last chapter:**

 **Guest: I think it's was GREAT! Um can you put gabbys (or in this case Raven) brother in this story.**

 **And here's my reply:**

 **Thank you for that compliment. But Gabby's brother Cedric only appears in the prologue, sorry. But that doesn't mean that's Cedric's only appearance.**

 **To all readers:**

 **You Can't Wither Me Down is the first book of a four book series aka a quartet. There's three main books centered around the world of MC:SM, with a companion book focusing on Earth and Cedric's side of the story. So before you all know it, you may ask; am I planning a crossover? Well, yeah. The companion book is based on that fandom and the third main book is a crossover.**

* * *

Chapter 2: EnderCon

On the way, Raven stayed quiet since she does not want to jinx it of having monsters popping up. She was glad when Olivia understood her silent language. When Raven and Olivia made it to EnderCon, the former could just widen her eyes in awe. It was nighttime, occasionally witnessing the firework dispenser shoot colored fireworks into the midnight blue sky.

"I still can't believe you saved our build." Olivia remarked as they explored EnderCon. "What happened back there?"

"Well, I placed some of the extra stone I mined recently. The woman called me off, and then Aiden pushed and tried to flirt with me."Raven explained before she cringed at her last words, as she looked at Olivia. "I may be that pretty but I hate it when every boy flocks at me like I was their queen, only to dump me when I wasn't."

"Oh, I understand."Olivia said concernedly. "Does that happen in your home? I haven't really seen you around here."

"Yeah."Raven replied before she mumbled. "Only that I do not know where is my home since I'm in Minecraft and not on Paris."

Now that she mumbled it, she began to worry about her family. How would Cedric and her family survive without her? Would Cedric forget her entirely like that voice in her head hissed? No, he can't. And she is not gonna forget him either, even if he did.

"Raven, you okay? You kinda spaced out."Olivia's worried tone snapped Raven's thoughts to reality.

"I am. Thanks for the concern."Raven replied. "Thanks for being my second friend in here, Olivia."

"You're welcome. I guess we could say we are friends now. Who's the first one though, for curiosity's sake?" Olivia stated.

"Well, it's-"Raven stated but was interrupted by someone, and she was glad it happened. Trying to say to Olivia that she made friends with one of their rivals could end up badly.

"Hey, Olivia! Glad I found you!"The girls turned around, and saw Axel approaching them.

"Axel! It's good to see you!"Olivia approached him. Raven shrugged and followed her second friend.

"I cannot believe we actually won this time. As in, we really won!"Axel raised his hands in the air. It took a blink for him to register that Raven was there. "Oh, who's the new girl?"

"Axel, this is Raven. Raven, this is Axel."Olivia greeted as the mentioned people shook hands. "If it were not for her saving our build, the fireworks dispensers would have burned-"

Raven was met again with a hug, only this time it was Axel and it was really bone crushing. "Umm… I think I will forget how to breathe if I-"

"Whoops, sorry!"Axel smiled sheepishly. "We really owe you a lot, Rae."

"Rae?"

"Oh you know, a nickname that goes well with-"

Raven frowned. Here she thought she was finally able to make some true friends, and she already knows what Axel going to say.

"…how I look."Raven whispered loudly enough for her new friends to hear. "What if I wasn't that beautiful? You're going to dump me? Do you only care about my looks?"

"No, it's not like that. I was just saying that the nickname suits you, entirely."Axel replied. "Besides, the Order of the Pig owes you a lot."

"Thanks."Raven said as they walked when she saw the same skinny boy and the girl (except she wasn't holding a pickaxe) approach them. The pig Reuben also joined them. Raven smiled at him. He has a black eye but he's still alive.

"Jesse."Axel said.

"… And… Petra?"Olivia asked.

"Hey, you all know Petra… my new super-close friend. We're super close now."The boy said awkwardly. Raven rolled her eyes. The boy then smiled sheepishly. "We ran into each other while I was looking for Reuben."

"Poor Reuben. What happened to his eye?"Olivia asked.

"We had a little run-in with some zombies. They whacked him good, but Reuben held his own."

"What are you doing in the woods, Petra?"Axel questioned.

"Nothing. Just… drawn by the sound of Jesse's high pitched screams."The girl, Petra shrugged. Raven chuckled, stifling her laughter.

"I would've been spider-bait if she hadn't found me."The boy Jesse said seriously.

"Sorry we didn't try to find you Jesse."Axel shrugged.

"But hey, we won!"Olivia smiled.

"And it's all thanks to Raven."Axel patted Raven's shoulder as they stared at the winning build. "If she hadn't save the build… the Ocelots would have won."

"Thank you for saving it, Raven."Jesse smiled at her. "For the first time, we actually won."

Raven shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I had to. It's amazing. Can't let a cheater burn it down."

"Also, thank you for respecting my space."Raven thought when her thoughts shifted about his smile; it was a genuine one and his handsome green- wait why is she thinking about him? No, she cannot be drooling over someone so handsome. Besides, she will leave him anyway one way or another when she finally found a way home.

"Hey, Jesse. It's time to go see about that thing."Petra said, snapping her thoughts.

"Oh, right. The 'thing'." Jesse remarked.

"Well, that was subtle."Raven rolled her eyes and commented.

"Yeah?"

"As a punch to the face. Axel, Raven and I are were gonna head into EnderCon anyway. See you in there?"Oliva shrugged.

"I heard somebody saying there's free cake by the map booth."Axel commented. Raven's eyes beamed. She loved cake. Sure, she was just pretending to savor it when she was Gabriela but she wants to taste it, person to cake.

Before Raven went off with Olivia and Axel, she took a final glance at Jesse and Petra then headed off, excited for what EnderCon has to offer.

* * *

So far, Raven was having fun. Seeing all the booths was enjoyable, even though it was tedious to wait at the long lines to experience it. She once looked at a potion booth, seeing all the interesting potions laid at the walls, as a girl holding the booth gave a potion to someone, receiving a bunch of Iron Ingot in return. Potions always fascinate her, even though getting the ingredients was hard.

She was currently munching the free cake she got from the Map Booth. It was deliciously sweet; it almost reminds her of the chocolate éclairs she bought to welcome Cedric from one of the best bakeries in Paris.

"Hey, beauty."Raven swallowed her cake, blinked and saw Aiden leaning on a fence. He then approached her, smirking. "Do you want to dance with-"

"No."Raven deadpanned. She then walked but Aiden blocked her path.

"Aw, don't be a killjoy. You still have a chance to spend with the winners."

"When I say no, I mean no."Raven hissed as she punched Aiden. Why she has to deal with one of the most annoying boys in the planet? He was worse as that blonde bully chick teasing her at school when she was Gabriela. One more reason she has to get home and NOT to have lovey-dovey feelings with somebody.

"OOF!"She bumped into someone, and that someone was Lukas. Raven blushed in embarrassment. She really had to keep her thoughts in check or she could be bumping in the wrong people. "Lukas! I am so sorry for bumping-"

"No, no, no. It's cool really."Lukas smiled before frowning slightly. "You know Raven, it's not fair you have to deal with Aiden acting like an idiot."

Raven blinked. Did Lukas just tell her that one of his teammates was an idiot? "But I thought-"

"Yeah, he's one of my group mates but the fact of winning often gets to his head."Lukas explained. "Just don't tell him that when you ran into him again."

"You secret's safe with me."Raven smiled when she saw Jesse, Olivia, Axel, Reuben and Petra ran into them.

"Raven, do you have any slime balls?"Axel asked. "We need a slime block and we only have eight."

"What's going on?"Raven questioned. "Oh, and I don't have any, sorry."

"Here, I have one."Lukas took a slime ball from his pocket. Jesse took it and began to craft it.

"Long story short, Petra traded a Wither Skull with a guy for a diamond. He cheated and gave us lapis. So, we're chasing him to get the skull back. The slime block is to break the chicken machine to distract the usher so we can get in."Olivia explained.

If finding that creepy man who might have answers to her way home (since creeps often have answers), Raven's in for it. Of course, no one knows where her home is since it's Minecraft.

"I'm in. You know you could just ask me to play him."Raven said, as a smirk grew in her lips. It is time to put her life experience to the test. "Keep the slime block. You'll never know when you'll need it."

"What do you mean by that?"Jesse asked curiously, with the slime block in his hand.

"Just watch."She grinned as she approached the usher with a nice and a seductive smile. "Hello, handsome. What are you doing standing here when you're not dancing in the night?"

"Oh, I just have to guard this gate for a speaker."The usher said, blushing furiously.

"Is that so? Well, I want to hear the admirable words of the mighty Gabriel, but sadly, my friends and I can't come since we have no tickets. So, will you let us in?"

"Only you, lovely."The usher said. "We can have a date, if you're willing."

"I would love to."She said in a sugary sweet way, continuing her act. "But I need my friends to come. I promise we'll have the date at midnight."

"If you say so."The usher replied, as he let Raven's friends in. Raven motioned them to move, which they do, while staring wide eyed at Raven. When they were out, she whispered at him smoothly.

"See you at midnight, prince charming."She said sweetly as she entered. When the usher turned his back on her, Raven ran to them in, faking a gag while at it.

"I cannot believe you just did that."Axel said.

"Ha-ha. Not like I would really do it."Raven rolled her eyes.

"So you didn't mean it?"Jesse asked.

"There is a term called pretending, otherwise known as acting."Raven stated. "So yeah, what was I saying before was a fake."

"Glad to hear it."She heard someone mumbled. She turned around, and Lukas shook his head.

"How was that acting so easy?"Olivia asked.

"It runs in the family."Raven shrugged. Well, at least her French heritage brought her some good luck. "Now, aren't we supposed to take that skull back?"

"He went there."Petra said, pointing to the door that was left ajar. The group then rushed towards it.

"Well, wasn't that welcoming? A door to darkness in a lighted hallway. Sounds fun."Raven mumbled in sarcasm.

"What do we do once we catch him?"Lukas asked. "There are a million ways to play this."

"We politely ask for what is ours."Jesse replied.

"Short, sweet and to the point. Not bad."Lukas remarked.

"Ready?"Jesse asked. With signs of agreement, the gang entered the door, ready to face what lies ahead.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! Haha, if people think I put you on a cliffhanger, then yeah, I just did.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	4. Chapter 3: Recipe for Disaster

**Chapter 3 is here! Oh and Raven knows the inventory like everyone else. Her sword is located at her back (inventory so it makes sense) and the rest are on her pockets of her jeans. A little note that I forgot to mention before, so yeah.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Recipe for Disaster

The group then peeked from the stall made out from stone and saw a torch lighted library full of bookshelves, with different kinds of potions on top of some shelves.

"See anything?"Jesse asked. Raven shrugged. The basement room seems empty.

"He must have gone out another way."Petra noted.

"What is all this?"Olivia voiced her thoughts as the gang stepped out of the stall.

"Looks like it used to be the basement. Weird place to have a hideout…" Jesse remarked.

"Or a library… with potions all over the place, that is."Raven added.

"I bet you anything I'll find my Wither skull here."Petra mused.

"And if we find anything else cool to steal along the way, so be it, right?"Axel said, as they began to explore the library.

"Axel, that's not what we're here to do."Petra called him.

"I said we should ask politely, Axel."Jesse affirmed.

"Yeah, but if the guy's not here, we can't ask. So I say we take." Axel reasoned.

"If I were you, I would at least respect this guy's belongings."Raven said. Sure, she never met that person, but she knows that if she at least respect him (by not stealing), maybe she could find out why he cheated Petra in the first place.

"Raven's right. I don't want to stoop on his level."Petra agreed.

"But isn't that the best way to get back to him?"Axel queried.

"Uh… No."Raven blurted. "I think I made my point already."

"Let's just focus on finding the skull, not stealing."Jesse stated.

"Nobody ever lets me have any fun."Axel whined.

"We let you hang out with us."Jesse retorted. "Anyway, the faster we find what we're looking for, the faster we can get the heck out of here."

Raven sighed as she looked around the library. Most of the books are about brewing and potions, making the potions around the library explainable.

"Who's this guy though? A wizard since that's the male mate of a witch?"Raven wondered silently, but shook the idea. There was just no way would Minecraft merge at one of her beloved books, even though the room screams it because of potions.

She then approached the back of the basement; there was a corner with potions hanging and a pink potion lay on a pedestal. On the center was a large stack of bookshelves piled up. Raven cannot help but get the feeling that there was something hiding through it.

All of a sudden, the bookshelves shifted downwards by the sound of a lever being switched, revealing a chest and a recipe. There was Soul Sand (she visited the Nether as Gabriela, duh! She cannot just go to the End without visiting it.) and some type of block in the center. A déjà vu vibe passed through Raven. She has seen it before, but where or when or what it is, she forgot.

"What the hell is all that stuff?"Jesse asked as everyone approached it.

"Soul Sand. It was everywhere in the Nether."Petra answered.

"What about that block in the middle?"Raven inquired.

"I've never seen one of these before…"Olivia mused as she approached the strange block closer. "I wonder if I just… take a closer look. It's almost like pulsing."

"Don't touch that, Olivia!"Jesse exclaimed, worried.

"I was just curious."Olivia admitted.

"Don't forget what we're here for, find that skull."Jesse restated. Olivia nodded in response.

Raven then approached Jesse, inspecting the chest. "I bet you one thing that this guy is hiding that skull on that chest."

"How are sure about that, Raven?"

"Well, that guy is probably smart since he has to hide it somewhere hidden… maybe a bit dumb because he messed at Petra?"Raven responded. Jesse shrugged as he opened the chest. Raven peeked at the chest and her eyes widened. At least she now knows what the mysterious person is hiding.

Wither skulls. Three of them are hiding in the chest. It was clear.

That person is building a Wither.

No way she's not letting that wither her down.

"You win, Raven."Jesse mumbled before he declared. "So… good news, weird news." Everyone then gathered to see what is inside.

Jesse then continued. "I found the skull, but-"

"What the hell? Why'd I risk my neck for that skull if he's got two of them already?"Petra interrupted, blazing with fury. "He was in such a hurry to get it too. There has to be something bigger going on here. Something we just don't see."

"We need to get out of here."Jesse frowned. "Whatever this guy is doing, I don't want to be around when he gets back."

"If he's doing something shady, we need to figure out what and why." Petra argued.

"He's building a Wither."Raven stated. "I mean, Soul Sand and three Wither skulls. That's a recipe for disaster."

"But… a Wither… that's-"Petra said only to be cut off by Lukas.

"One of the worst monsters there is."Lukas interjected, before he turned to Raven. "How did you know that though?"

"I've visited the Nether, Lukas, and I know most crafting recipes, including Withers."Raven blurted bluntly. It took a blink for her to realize that no one will get her point. She did, only through the computer digital for the first part. However, the second part was obviously true; she definitely knows a lot of crafting recipes.

"We came down here to find the skull. Well, we found it."Jesse said.

"Maybe we should just grab it and get out of here, while we still can." Petra suggested. Suddenly, they heard the door open and close.

"Hide now and be quick about it, make sure to take that skull."Raven advised before she hides on the chest near the recipe. She quickly saw Jesse move behind the chest before she shuts the chest closed.

She then regretted it quickly. Screw her claustrophobia. Raven hates hide and seek mainly because of that reason. Currently, she felt the chest's tight space and the blackness of the room seeking to suffocate her. Why that darn phobia did followed her to Minecraft when it could have left her at Earth?

"'Don't you recognize me?' Or… wait… 'Surprised to see me?' No, that's not good… 'Thought you were rid of me, didn't you?' That's better."Raven heard the person who tricked Petra drawled. She slightly opened the chest quietly and moved to Jesse's hiding spot.

"What are you doing in here?"Jesse mumbled.

"I can't breathe in there due to claustrophobia."Raven whispered. She spotted the person though. He had dark green clothing, slick black hair and a beard. Raven then spotted Reuben on the potions. She motioned her head to him to get down, and he did, just in time to avoid the man's face on him.

CLINK!

"What was that? Who's there?"The man questioned at the sound. Shoot, Raven thought.

"Olivia, look out!"She heard Jesse called. So much for cover, Raven rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing in here? What did you see?"The man questioned.

"Says the guy who cheated my friends."Raven spat, revealing her to the man, backing up Jesse while doing so.

"Leave them alone!"Petra entered the scene.

"Yeah, back off, pal!"Axel warned.

"You two?"The man spat. "Did you follow me here?"

"You thought you could just screw us over and get away with it, didn't you?"Petra retorted. In the corner of her eyes, Raven could see Lukas coming out of his hiding place.

"We're here to prove you wrong."Jesse affirmed.

"What are you going to do about it? I have what I want and you have exactly what you earned. Now get out before I put you out."The man sneered.

"We know what you're doing down here."Jesse responded as he approached him, glaring. "Soul Sand and three Wither skulls? You're building a Wither!"

"Smarter than you look."The man remarked.

"Hey! Nobody talks to my friends like that! Now shut your mouth or else."Axel threatened.

"You've wasted too much time already."The man hissed as he ran away. The gang then catches up to him, arriving near the door out. Petra then asked his whereabouts, before they all saw him putting a pumpkin over four iron blocks.

"If you won't leave of your own volition, I'll happily remove you myself."The man snarled as he placed the pumpkin, creating an iron golem in place. "Show our friends the door, will you?"

"Shoot."Raven swore as the gang ran, ducking when the golem attempted to swipe at her. Raven then quickly ran outside the door. In all the commotion, Raven made it, overhearing the EnderCon event at the back that currently introduced Gabriel the Warrior.

"Everybody okay?"Jesse asked.

"Yeah…"Raven soon noticed that Lukas was missing. "But where's Lukas?"

"I thought he was right behind me."Jesse then turned, only to find out that Lukas was not there.

"Well, if he's not here, the only place he could be is-"Axel reasoned when Raven interjected him.

"Danger, specifically down in the basement."Raven stated grimly.

"Ivor's got an iron golem and all the ingredients to build a Wither down there. If he were to unleash it in this crowd of people… we've got to act fast."Petra stated.

"It just so happens that the greatest warrior of all time is in this building. We can ask Gabriel for help."Olivia suggested. "This is the smartest way to help Lukas."

"He's tough. I just hope he's tough enough to hold out a little bit longer."Petra agreed.

"Well, I doubt it, because I'm going after Lukas by myself."Raven declared.

"By yourself? Raven, you know what you're doing?"Jesse asked.

"I do."Raven confirmed. "The rest of you… go get Gabriel."

"You got it."Olivia agreed.

"We'll figure out a way to warn Gabriel and then we'll meet you back here."Petra assured.

"Let's crash this party."Axel remarked.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."Raven promised, but before she left, Jesse called.

"Please be careful, Raven."Raven turned and met his green eyes, filled with worry and concern.

"I will be."Raven smiled before she headed down at the dark basement, unaware that a certain pig followed her.

* * *

Raven trudged carefully at the stairs, almost being seen by the iron golem if she did not hide in that stall made out of stone quick enough. She sighed when she spotted Reuben oinking at her.

"What are you doing in here Reuben? This is dangerous."Raven whispered. "Get out while you still can. Jesse will be worried sick."

The pig shook his head in response. Raven sighed. "Fine but just be careful."She then risked a peek and found the iron golem not on her sight. She carefully walked at the room; making a plan to hide in the bookshelves and not on the chests.

"Lukas?"Raven whispered loudly but not too loud that the golem would hear her as she walked. "Can you hear me… even though I'm whispering?"

"Raven?"She turned and saw Lukas in a chest near the potions stand. His face was only visible since the rest of his body laid inside. "Is that you whispering super loudly?"

"Over here, Lukas!"Raven beckoned him to come but he shut the chest closed. She looked back and saw the iron golem attempting to swipe at her.

"Gah!"She yelped, dodging it when she heard Lukas saying 'Hey!' giving her time to hide in a bookshelf. With the iron golem not after her, Raven then looked at the chest in concern.

"You okay?"She asked. Lukas then opened the chest, this time only his blue eyes were visible.

"Eh, I've been worse."Lukas answered. "Well I can't say this is the best spot I've ever been in. Any bright ideas?"

"I'll come in swinging."Raven replied.

"With what?"Lukas questioned. Raven responded by drawing her stone sword. Lukas's blue eyes glance at her in worry.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Rae, but don't do it."Lukas stated. "Just don't. Your sword might break."

Shrugging, Raven put her sword back in her inventory, which was in her back. The nickname was used again, but she didn't mind. She slightly looked at the iron golem and noticed a potion bottle was beside her. She picked it quietly and hid again.

"Hopefully I had better aim at this."Raven muttered at herself before she threw the bottle at the potion shelf.

The sound of glass shattered was heard in potion shelf, distracting the iron golem while looking at it.

"Now, Lukas!"Raven yelled. "Run!"

Lukas quickly got out of the chest and ran. Raven sighed in relief only to witness that the iron golem's eyes are upon her.

"And… I shouldn't have yelled. Fluff Feathers."Raven muttered when the iron golem attempted to swipe at her. She yelped, dodging it. The golem was about to strike again when Reuben oinked loudly. With the golem distracted, Raven and Reuben escaped the golem.

"Thank you, Reuben. I thought I was a goner if you haven't oinked."Raven smiled as they ran to the door.

"You're welcome, G."She heard someone, a male voice, whispered. Raven paused for a moment but moved on anyway. As Gabriela, she was used to be called G as a nickname aside from Gab or Gabby by her friends. G was the least used nickname out of the three. Hearing someone say it in Minecraft made her feel that someone familiar is there, trying to guide her way back home. She smiled, even though as much as she wants to ask him, Lukas might be watching and it will be hard to explain if he finds out.

"Raven, come on! Let's go!"Lukas called as they ran to the staircases. "Thanks for coming back for me. I thought no one will."

"No problem."Raven smiled. Lukas then opened the door.

"I guess I owe you one."Lukas replied as he motioned for her to go on first.

"It's no worry, you go first."Raven smiled as she beckoned him to come first.

"If you insist, Princess."Lukas shrugged as he went outside. Raven rolled her eyes. She hopes that she wasn't blushing or any signs of love expressions on her face. If she is, then she might break Lukas' heart. Why is she so worried about him though? She can't be falling in love in him with her constant worrying. With a sigh, she got out of the basement.

* * *

 **That was long! Next chapter is where things get... spicy and complicated.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	5. Chapter 4: Rise of the Wither

**Finally! Well this took longer than expected, because of certain reasons that-**

 ***Cat Wilham scream is heard***

 **Great... so uh, enjoy the chapter for today.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Rise of the Wither

As the trio walked to the lighted hallway, Lukas asked. "Where are the others?"

"… Are your friends nearby?"They looked at the stage and saw Gabriel the Warrior listening to Jesse's plea of help for them.

"They got his help?"Lukas blinked, which Raven nodded in agreement.

"Go figure, but we already got out."Raven responded as they walked to join Jesse and the gang.

"I have a question for you!"Someone exclaimed. Raven quickly shuddered. She knows that voice, even if she didn't glance at him.

"Excuse me, sir; you'll have to wait your turn."Gabriel responded.

"Just tell me first; do you really believe anyone can be great?"

"With enough hard work, yes."

"Was that I went wrong? That I simply didn't work hard enough?"The bearded man pushed somebody, confirming Raven's claims.

"Ivor, is that really you?"Gabriel questioned. "How dare you interrupt like this?"

"They know each other?"Raven thought. "Are they friends? Rivals?"

"That's the guy who attacked us in the basement!"Jesse exclaimed.

"I wish I could say I was surprised."Gabriel responded.

"If its surprises you want, you're in for a treat."The man, Ivor said as he walked up to the stage. "Why don't you tell them the real story, Gabriel?"

"I see time has made you bitter."Gabriel said.

"And it has made you an even bigger fool."Ivor spat. "Now these people were promised greatness, and I am ready to deliver. I'm sorry this is how they had to learn the truth…"

"This is going to be chaos."Raven remarked as Ivor pulled the lever to show the Wither recipe.

"But nothing built can last forever, Gabriel."

"Ivor, NO!"

It is too late. Ivor placed the final skull, as the Wither was created, knocking them both offstage.

"Creature, attack!"The Wither then flied around, shooting blocks that explode upon contact. It shot a block at Raven, scared and almost getting hurt if not for Gabriel pushing her out of the way. It soon began to absorb objects from the building, giving it strength.

"Everyone, stay calm! This foul beast is no match for me!"Gabriel drew his diamond sword and attacked it, but nothing happened. He glared at Ivor. "What have you done?"

"Gabriel!"Jesse tried to approach him but he-

"No! Stay away! It's after me, not you!"Gabriel replied as they ducked when they saw the Wither approached them.

"Look at him, the mighty Gabriel! Looks like true greatness is out of his reach."Ivor spat. "He may not be able to defeat this creature, but I can! Creature, retreat!"

The Wither did nothing in reply, as it began to absorb more objects, ignoring Ivor's calls.

"He lost control of it!"Jesse said.

"No need to worry my friends. I had a special elixir that will destroy this creature."Ivor pulled out a potion bottle. Raven could hear Axel say 'uh-oh' in the back. Ivor then threw it, but nothing happened.

"Hate to break your hopes, but nothing is happening!"Raven exclaimed, trying to contain her fear of the ever-growing Wither. She needs to survive. She shouldn't die. Cedric will need a sister to support him and that sister is her.

"Impossible! It should have worked; I took such care."Ivor said in disbelief.

"The potion… Axel, you got to throw the real potion."Olivia urged.

"But, finders keepers!"Axel responded.

"You thieves! You're ruining everything!"Ivor shouted.

"Just do it, while we still have the chance."Raven nagged. Jesse then took the potion before he threw it. The Wither then covered the weird block as the glass shattered, but nothing happened.

"It's protecting itself! Without the command block exposed… the potion is useless! It wasn't supposed to happen like this."Ivor then ran away.

"Ivor! You coward, come back here!"Gabriel yelled when a purple tractor beam sucked him. He yelped, only to be pulled by Olivia.

"I can't hold on!"Olivia stated. Jesse helped his friend rescue Gabriel. Gabriel thanked him as Jesse helped him up.

"Ivor was right about one thing; I can't defeat that thing. Not on my own."Gabriel sighed. "Everyone is running away, except for you. Will you help me? I must get to the temple, but what needs to happens next, I can't do it alone."

"Of course!"Jesse replied.

"Follow me."Gabriel said as everyone followed him to escape the newly impending threat.

* * *

As she ran, Raven looked up and gasped. "Crud."She mumbled. The Wither has grown bigger than ever, and was currently sucking people in purple tractor beams.

"Guys!"Taking a risk, Raven looked back and saw Jesse struggling by a tractor beam lifting the ground of blocks.

"Jesse! Take my hand!"Raven then reached out her hand as Jesse crawled over. She gripped his hand tightly and pulled him out of the tractor beam's path.

"Thanks."Jesse sighed in relief as they try to meet up with the rest of the gang.

"Lukas!"Raven called and the mentioned person turned around, relieved.

"Holy crap! Oh man, if I was still in that basement…"Lukas shuddered. "Thanks for coming back for me, Rae. I would have been dead if you haven't."

"Jesse! Raven!"They turned and saw Olivia and the rest of the group in a stall. As they settled in, they gasped as one of the tractor beams sucked the roof in which they rest.

"We have to stay together!"Jesse said as the group ran when Petra cried for help. Jesse grabbed her hand, with Raven pulling his leg when he was about to be pulled while grabbing into a fence. Unfortunately, the fence broke and the group would have been sucked if not for Gabriel helping them.

"Is everyone okay?"Raven panted. With everyone nodding, Gabriel spoke as the group ran.

"We must set out for my fortress; we'll be better protected there."

"Thanks for having my back out there."Petra smiled as they ran. Raven shrugged.

"I guess we're even, r-"Jesse said when-

"Look out!"Raven exclaimed as they dodged an exploding fireball from the Wither. She then ran, dodging obstacles along with the way as they fled the place of Endercon.

* * *

"Stay together everyone!"Gabriel reminded. "We'll be safe as soon as we get to my temple."

Raven ran as if her life depends on it, literally. She was screaming internally; on the outside, she was focused on dodging the obstacles, until one of the Wither tentacles grasped her.

"Oof!"She choked before she cried for help, punching the Wither tentacle hardly while hoping someone would hear her since she cannot get her sword from the back.

"Gotcha!"She saw Jesse struck the tentacle, causing it to retreat and let go. Raven smiled and thanked Jesse as they both catch up with the others.

* * *

"Hurry, inside the temple!"Gabriel said as they headed inside the temple. "The inner chamber is entirely made out of obsidian. We should be untouchable in there."

Gabriel then pulled a lever, opening up the chamber. Suddenly a tractor beam struck the temple's door. The group then ran into the chamber where a portal to the Nether laid.

A Wither tentacle burst through the temple as well. Gabriel unsheathed his diamond sword and started attacking it. "Hurry! If you can get to the portal, you'll be safe."

The group ran to the portal with Axel heading towards it, but he was still there. "Uh, something's not right here."He said, confused.

"It's not lit."Olivia stated before Jesse got out a flint and steel and quickly lit the portal frame.

"Everyone, get in! NOW!"Petra yelled. Everyone did except for Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Raven. Soon the mentioned four heard a scream before they turned and saw Gabriel being grasped by the Wither tentacle.

"Gabriel!"Jesse called as the group (except Lukas, who's scared for life) rushed over to help him. Another tentacle burst from the roof to attack them.

"I thought we're untouchable from now on."Raven sighed as she got out her sword to fight the tentacle along with Petra. Jesse quickly got Gabriel from being taken by the Wither Storm. She heard Gabriel thanked Jesse as he got up.

"There are so many of them… I-I can't save them at all. I can't stop this myself. We need to find the others."Raven heard Gabriel said.

"Others?"Raven blinked as she kept attacking the tentacle.

"Soren's missing for years… but the others, you must seek them out."Out of the corner of her eye, Raven spotted Gabriel giving Jesse a kind of an amulet that is held by a hand, unaware that a Wither tentacle grasped her, snapping her out.

"Gosh, darn it! Help!"Raven screamed before Petra pulled her out, only for both of the girls to be hurled to one of the obsidian walls. She groaned in pain as she witnessed Jesse struck the Wither with his sword, with hopes that what she just went to was just a dream, and she would be back home. She got up but she silently cried when her left arm became painful. She witnessed Petra struck the tentacle with her gold sword as the tentacle retreated.

"You three; go through the portal and meet up with the others. I'll stay here and do whatever I can."Petra said as she attacked the tentacle, quickly spotting that neither of the three were heading. "Get in, now!"

"Petra, you are risking your life. If you're staying, then I'm staying." Raven insisted before she coughed, with Jesse nodding in agreement. One thing that never changed when she was pixelated to Minecraft was her persistence and her concern for her friends, even if the price is risky.

"No, you're not."Petra demanded. "The gang needs you all. Get in the portal. If anything happens, I'll meet you guys at the temple."

Suddenly, they all saw Gabriel being sucked up by a tractor beam. Jesse, Petra and Raven quickly rushed over when another tractor beam sucked Petra, earning Lukas' horrified scream. The Wither tentacle attempted to swipe at Jesse and Raven, but both of them dodge it, with Raven coughing by the effort.

"Raven, get Petra! I've got Gabriel!"Jesse yelled as Raven pulled Petra out of the beam.

"Thanks Raven."Petra smiled weakly as they witnessed Jesse taking Gabriel. "I think now we should-"

"Incoming!"Raven yelled as she pushed Petra out of the way, as Raven was the next one who was sucked by the tractor beam.

"Help!"She cried, slightly coughing in pain.

She looked around and found Gabriel and Petra was nowhere to be found and saw Jesse attempting to rescue her, only for a tentacle to slam him and Lukas into the portal.

"Oh, that's just great."Raven muttered sarcastically when she coughed more again, her vision getting blurry from all her efforts. The last thing she felt was someone pulling her out before everything went black.

* * *

 **Okay, that's all. You might be yelling because I pulled a freaking cliffhanger on you. My bad... (not really)**

 **Now for the reason why this took long, somewhere near the end of the story, the keyboard was taken away and I can't type. Luckily I found the On-Screen Keyboard but I couldn't type as fast as I have the keyboard. Good relief that the keyboard is back.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	6. Chapter 5: Adventure through the Nether

**Well this took long. This is about 2k words. Wow. I hope you enjoy what happened here.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Adventure through the Nether

The moment Lukas and Jesse hit the Nether ground, Axel quickly asked. "Where's Petra and Raven?"

"We did everything we could."Lukas responded, sadly. He could have saved Raven, but he didn't. He was scared. If only he didn't have fear…

"What are you saying?"Axel questioned.

"Jesse, what is he talking about?"Olivia said, worried. Lukas looked at Jesse sadly, hoping it would make up as a sorry face.

"It was chaos. Petra and Gabriel are safe but… Raven's still up there."Jesse replied. "There wasn't much we could do."

"He's right. I got scared. Just for a second."Lukas confessed.

"You got scared?"Axel snarled angrily, approaching the blonde boy.

"It wasn't my fault."Lukas defended. He has a reason to be scared when there was a huge Wither out in the world.

"You got scared and it wasn't your fault?"Axel restated.

"Back off, Axel. We have a reason to be scared."Olivia said which was true.

"We got to go back."Axel insisted as he walked through the portal but Olivia blocked his way.

"No, we can't."Olivia shook her head. "We just have to wait."

"Olivia, they are still there. We need to go and save them, especially for Raven."Jesse stated. Lukas nodded in agreement. Within those, several hours from the moment he met her, Lukas could say Raven's worthy to be rescued. After her struggle with Aiden and saving him from the iron golem in the basement along with her iridescent green eyes, she's worth saving.

Did he just think her eyes are iridescent? Lukas shrugged that thought when he noticed the portal crackled lavender, a sign that someone will come out from the chaos.

"Hey! There she is!"He exclaimed. Soon, someone got out of the portal, almost hitting the Nether ground but was able to keep his footing. He was also carrying somebody on what seems to be the right foot with his left hand.

"You again."He spat, as that someone was Ivor, but the group did not recognize the person's he is carrying yet. Suddenly, a Wither tentacle came right through the portal swinging. The group (and Ivor) was able to dodge it until the tentacle broke the portal, cutting the tentacle off and leaving the group stuck in the Nether.

"Ivor."Jesse snarled as Ivor dusted himself off with his free hand.

"You ruined everything!"Ivor barked. Lukas felt his fear closing in on him. He was still surviving, which was a miracle as he backed up Jesse along with his friends.

"Don't pretend you didn't know thieves! You took my most valuable potion."Ivor ranted when Jesse approached and punched him. Hard. In the face. Lukas winced absentmindedly at this.

"More needless violence. It solves nothing. Learn the lesson now or you'll share someone's fate."Ivor hissed. "There's nothing left up there! Nothing but that Witherstorm."

"Why are we wasting time talking to this jerk? We have to go and get Petra and Raven."Axel snarled.

"The girls. I saw them."Ivor mentioned, catching everyone's attention.

"You're joking."Lukas said. He has to be but the tone says otherwise.

"Oh I'm not, Blondie."Ivor said. "While I was running toward the portal, I passed the girl with the bandana. She was running in the opposite direction. As for the other girl…"Ivor then threw the person he was carrying into the ground harshly, who was actually Raven knocked out. Lukas approached her and was glad to see Raven's still has a pulse.

"What did you do to Raven?"Lukas questioned angrily. "If you killed her…"

"Nothing. It's her stupidity that caused her this."Ivor answered. "I would say it's that same for the bandana girl."

"Our friends are in trouble because of you."Jesse hissed. "We are all in trouble because of you. If you hadn't scammed Petra, we wouldn't be even in this mess that you made."

"Just forget this ever happened. It was just my pity that I saved this girl. If she screwed herself again, she won't have my mercy."Ivor snarled, referring to Raven. "Through that tunnel is a network of mine carts built by the Order of the Stone. It's your only way out of this."

"How would you get out of here?"Lukas asked.

"Me? Well, I'll use my imagination, Blondie."Ivor replied sarcastically before they heard something.

"What was that?"Axel asked.

"I would wish you good luck but luck won't carry you through the Nether. You have my sympathies."Ivor said as he drank a potion that caused him to vanish and the sound of a splash potion breaking was heard. Lukas glanced at Raven and saw red effects bubbling at her, her unconscious body still not moving.

"Yeah right, it's pity when you harm someone."Lukas mumbled to himself when Jesse screamed. Lukas looked up and saw a Ghast approached them with its crimson eyes.

"RUN!"Jesse yelled as everyone ran. Lukas did the same after picking up Raven bridal style and found her weight surprisingly light with a few chunks of heaviness. The group soon comes across a set of mine carts.

"This is must be what Ivor is talking about."Olivia reasoned when the gang looked back and saw the Ghast staring at them before shooting a fireball. They dodged it before they settled on the mine carts, with Lukas and Raven on the same cart. Lukas has to admit it: it's quite a miracle that neither of them had fallen off as the mine carts traveled them through the Nether.

* * *

"Wow. The Nether."Lukas whispered as he marveled at the sight the mine carts took them. Clearly, the Nether was a place full of lava, fire and hostile creatures.

"Yeah. That is a LOT of lava… and fire… and other things that could burn you into death."Olivia agreed. Suddenly Reuben let out an oink, hiding in his cart before Jesse yelped an 'oh no'.

Lukas looked ahead and gasped. There was nothing after several tracks up ahead. "Oh that's a drop. That is very, very much of a drop."He said, his breathing gradually getting shaky at what was about to happen in a few moments.

"What are you talking about, newbie? What dr-"Axel questioned when he saw Lukas' point. "Oh crap! You weren't kidding!"

"Here we go!"Jesse exclaimed as the mine carts drop. It turns out there was actually a set of tracks, but Lukas didn't care. All he focused on was gripping one hand at his cart, the other one at Raven, who was unaware of what was happening.

After the drop, the carts led them into a lighted path of Glowstone and torches. They soon were about to approach a wall that was blocking the path.

"Duck!"Lukas yelled as he ducked with Raven at his arms. When the wall passed them, Olivia's cry made him repeat what he recently just did as they passed that path and towards a fiery lava curtain.

"Okay, so I'm not the only one seeing that we're running out of track, right?"Axel asked.

"No!"Lukas responded vigorously. They're going to be toasted soon.

"Jesse, that switch!"Olivia yelled. Jesse then carefully leaned out of the cart with one of his arms out. As soon he was near, he quickly pulled the switch. Lukas breathed a sigh of relief as nobody's getting toasted.

"Haha, wow. I thought something bad was going to happen there."Jesse confessed. "But, heh, I guess everything's going to be-"Soon Jesse was interrupted as the group split paths because of the track set. Jesse and Reuben were on one side and the rest was on the other side. Olivia, Axel and Lukas also were split up as Lukas was stuck on the Nether track, alone with Raven.

"Guys? Anyone?"Lukas asked only to be replied by dead silence. He sighed, at least there were no hostile creatures disturbing him-

He suddenly heard two Ghast cries as they shot a fireball at him. Screw his luck.

* * *

"AHH!"Raven's eyes bolted open and saw Lukas ducked fireballs from Ghasts. That was enough for her to figure out she was in the Nether and she was in Lukas' minecart; both of them in one minecart seems like a miracle that she has not fell off.

"Hey!"Raven said as she began to deflect the ghast's fireballs that fired at her with her sword, killing the mobs off. She turned to Lukas, who is hyperventilating.

"Catch your breath, Louie."Raven said bluntly before she covered her mouth. She's blurting nicknames, just great.

"Raven, you're alright!"Lukas exclaimed as he hugged Raven, unfazed at the nickname. Raven was surprised at the hug before she let it go as the hug broke.

"What happened?"Raven asked.

"Well, Ivor pulled you out of that beam, Jesse punched him, Ivor then vanished after some talk and dropped a splash potion at you. Since the guy manages to create a huge monster on the loose, I assume that was a splash potion of harming. Then after some running because of monsters, we found our way here."Lukas explained. "I'm so glad you're alive. I thought you were dead or something."

"Thanks for carrying me Lukas."Raven smiled before they felt the cart hit a metallic surface. The pair looked ahead and saw Olivia and Axel.

"Raven, you're okay!"Olivia said.

"Oh man, I thought you're a goner."Axel affirmed.

"Where's Jesse and Reuben?"Raven asked when she heard a scream and her cart felt something being hit from the back. The group then turned around and saw the person and the pig Raven is asking for.

"Raven!"Jesse beamed a smile, with Reuben giving a happy oink. "Is… ha… is everybody okay?"

"I mean, I'm not dead. I guess that's good."Axel responded. The group then turned up ahead.

"Ditto. Ditto with the not dead."Olivia nodded.

"I just can't believe you visited the Nether, Raven. This place is awful."Lukas commented.

"Eh, I could handle it."Raven shrugged.

"Heh, your throat's going to be sore later, Axel."Lukas chuckled.

"Why?"Axel inquired.

"I mean… wasn't that you doing all that screaming before? Sounded like you were really shredding your larynx."Lukas answered.

"Oh yeah. I heard that too. Really high-pitched? Kind of like a squeaky piston?"Olivia affirmed.

"You know, let's just not talk about this."Jesse said.

"Sounds good to me. I can't relate about the screaming."Raven agreed, although she assumed Jesse was the one screaming.

* * *

"Can you throw up like inside your body?"Jesse asked as they climbed up the stairs at where the mine carts led them too, since everyone is already off the carts.

"Uh-huh. I know because I just did that about five times."Olivia remarked.

"Look at this place."Raven said in awe as she looked at the view, her voice echoing. She really only went to the Nether to fight Blazes as Gabriela to progress. She never thought exploring it would give off a blazing vibe.

"All of these tracks converge at one point. You could probably get anywhere in the world from here."Olivia observed.

"There's the portal!"Jesse exclaimed as they caught sight of a Nether portal.

"This is what Gabriel was talking about."Lukas remarked.

"That's our way out."Axel said.

"It must lead back to the surface."Olivia stated.

"The surface is also where that creature is."Lukas noted.

"Are we playing the obvious game now?"Raven mumbled to herself as Axel faced the portal. She sighed when she felt some paper at her pocket. She'll check it later when she finally settled in somewhere safe.

"He's right. We have no idea what we're walking into. It could be dangerous."Jesse agreed before Axel shrugged, facing the portal.

"Thanks for being so brave Axel."Lukas remarked.

"All right. I'm going to go. I'm going. I'm going right now."Axel repeated.

"Axel, maybe I should go first."Jesse said.

"That's not what I was saying."Axel remarked.

"I'm going in also."Raven agreed as she approached the portal only to be hold back by Jesse's hand.

"Rae, the last thing I want is for you to faint again."Jesse responded. "I'm going."

"If you insist then…,"Raven sighed as Jesse approached the portal.

"Well, see you on the other side… I guess."Jesse commented.

"Be careful."Olivia warned.

"Thanks, Jesse."Axel smiled as Jesse entered the portal.

* * *

Few seconds passed, Axel sighed. "We should go and check on Jesse." He then went into the portal, Raven following him after.

"… Is it dead? I mean, you know, dead-dead?"Axel asked, with Jesse affirming it as they walked up some blocks. It was nighttime with the moon shining overhead. Raven could hear the moans of zombies nearby; quite lucky they had not been spotted by them.

"Where are we?"Olivia asked.

"Let's see. We're stuck in the dark, and we're in the middle of nowhere."Raven clarified.

"Maybe we should bed down for the night. It's dangerous to be out when it's this dark."Lukas suggested.

"I thought we were headed toward a temple."Axel voiced.

"We're looking for a giant building. It should be pretty obvious."Olivia remarked.

"Ivor said-"Lukas said.

"Oh… "Ivor said." Well then this is the temple."Axel said. "I'm being sarcastic."

"We need to build a shelter like now. We're really vulnerable out here." Jesse urged.

"I say we build a treehouse."Olivia suggested.

"That'll take forever and we'll be exposed while we do it. We just need a quick and dirty hut."Axel retorted. Raven quickly caught sight of a zombie walking mindlessly.

"We better build the shelter fast before some skeleton or zombie comes out."Raven said.

"Let's go with a treehouse."Jesse decided.

"It's functional. It'll keep us out of danger."Olivia agreed.

"It's not a bad idea."Lukas said, with Raven nodding as they began to work at their treehouse.

* * *

"If I wake up with a spider on my face, I'm going to expect you to deal with it."Axel ranted as they looked over at their finished work.

"Lower your expectations, Axel."Olivia said.

"Well, maybe if we'd built into the tree a little bit more, it could've-"Lukas then shook his head. "Never mind. This tree is fine. It's good."

Lukas then began to climb it, along with the others as they began to settle in the treehouse with a Netherrack being lit, acting as a campfire.

Raven mostly settled herself on the fire, trying to warm her cold body. She felt her left arm prickling with pain again, but she tried to conceal it by looking down at the wooden ground.

"And one for Raven."She looked up and saw Axel giving her a cookie. She smiled in thanks when she noticed Lukas doesn't have anything. "Sorry Lukas, I only have five."

"That was intentional."Raven thought. She wanted to give the cookie but Jesse beat her to it. Jesse then looked at her in plea, before Raven gave in, eating the cookie.

"If you had to… what would you rather fight? A hundred chicken-sized zombies or ten zombie-sized chickens?"Olivia asked.

"Choose wisely."Jesse remarked. Raven chuckled. A little meme question wouldn't hurt.

"That's a good one. Let me think…"Lukas thought aloud.

"How can you guys joke at a time like this?"Axel questioned. "Petra is still up there."

"We can't just mope. We got to keep our spirits high."Jesse responded.

"No, we should be moping."Axel retorted. "That's exactly what we should be doing."

"Axel, she'll be fine."Raven agreed hopefully before she coughed again. She wants to rest and sleep but she can't. She has to check her stuff to make sure she'll be fine, even on her own.

"What makes you think that?"Axel questioned.

"She's got to be."Raven responded as Axel walked away.

"Fine, then. We should get some rest. We got to start looking for this temple as early as we can."Lukas thought aloud as he stood up. "Now, my guess is, if we start at the portal and kind of split up-"

"Whoa! What are you doing?"Axel turned to face Lukas with a glare.

"Did I do something wrong to you? I'd really like to know." Lukas asked. "Because you keep getting on my case for what seems like no reason."

"We'll figure it out in the morning. We need to rest."Jesse said before he yawned.

"Maybe you're right. I'm pretty exhausted."Lukas agreed.

"Jesse means 'us', not 'you'."Axel informed.

"Axel, I think he meant all of us."Raven chided.

"You're the only one wearing that stupid jacket."Axel sneered. "Don't tell us what to do."

"Take. That. Back."Lukas snapped.

"Can't. Wouldn't."Axel replied on the same tone.

"You know what; I get to wear this jacket because I know how to build. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to break things…"Lukas asserted.

"Your threats don't scare me, now that we know who you really are."

"Jesse, your friend is way out of line!"Lukas snapped.

"Let's just drop it."Jesse replied.

"The stress is getting to the both of you."Raven noted. "Take a few deep breaths and then cool off."

"Don't be like that."Axel said.

"Just please?"Raven pleaded before she coughed again.

"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?"Axel hissed. "Petra might be dead because of you."

"Can the two of you just cool off?"Raven shouted, tired of the argument before she felt herself being sapped away of energy by something. She pinched her left arm absentmindedly at this, waking herself up.

"Look, why don't I just leave and let you guys hash this out?"Lukas suggested as he stood up and approached the ladder when Olivia blocked his path.

"You can't leave. There are monsters out there."Olivia said worriedly as she stood up.

"I can take care of myself."Lukas said. "Axel wanted it to happen anyway."

"Let him leave if he wants to leave."Axel shrugged.

"Axel, if Lukas' leaving, I'm leaving."Raven blurted as she stood up near Lukas. "One way or another, you two need to learn to get along, because I'm seriously getting sick of the both of you arguing."

"But Raven-"Axel began when…

"That's enough. We're all on the same team now. He's staying."Jesse decided. Lukas smiled before they settled down on the campfire.

"Zombie-sized chickens. That's what I'd fight."Lukas finally answered Olivia's question.

"Why's that?"Olivia inquired.

"Because I'm starving."Lukas replied when the sky crackled, before it rained with the Netherrack unfazed at the current weather

"Knew I should have added the roof, but oh well."Raven thought aloud.

"Rain's better than monsters."Lukas voiced before he turned at Jesse and Raven. "Thanks for keeping me in."

Jesse nodded and Raven smiled. "Consider it a thank you for carrying me."She said.

* * *

The Netherrack's fire crackled loudly at the treehouse. Raven sighed as she looked at her sleeping friends. Raven then began to pull out her materials. She still has some stone blocks and her stone sword and stone pickaxe. She spent all of her wood blocks at the treehouse though. Raven then dug a little deep in her pockets and felt something smooth and thin. She carefully pulled it out and saw a letter with scribbled writing, as the person who wrote it was in a rush. She then read it:

 _To Diamond Clip Girl_

 _I'm sorry I didn't have a bucket of milk. I hope you'll be fine on your own with that healing potion._

Raven then looked at who gave her the letter. It was rushed handwriting but Raven glared at it closer before she gasped.

The letter came from Ivor.

When Lukas told her that Ivor dropped a potion on her, he assumes it was harming. It's actually healing. Ivor, the man who created a mutant monster on the loose, saved her life.

"What's with the bucket of- COUGH!"Raven voiced when she coughed loudly. Fortunately, her friends were deep asleep, none of them quite waking up. She glanced at her left arm and found a dark purple pixel on it.

No wonder why Ivor said sorry because he didn't have milk. Raven is currently infected by a case of Wither Sickness. It was logic for Raven; she has been grabbed by a Wither tentacle twice and was sucked in a tractor beam trying to save Petra.

Reading the letter thrice, Raven decoded that Ivor cared for her. She couldn't believe it. Maybe Ivor wasn't that bad as she thinks. Maybe he could be the key for her way back home.

Should she tell the others? Raven glanced at them before shaking her head. No, she can't. They wouldn't understand. It would just be what happened back home; being cast aside all because of a crazy idea.

Drowsiness soon took over her. Raven looked at sky and sighed. "Mega Wither on the loose, you can't wither me down." She said before she fell asleep near the crackling fire.

* * *

 **EEKK! EPISODE 6 is coming soon! Yahoo! *pauses and looks at the audience* Eh, what? I'm excited for A Portal to Mystery. If you're looking at me since I did Lukas' POV, well I will occasionally do other POV's aside from Raven's. Anyway, I'm so excited for Episode 6. It's got awesome guest stars.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	7. Chapter 6: Temple of the Order

**Yahoo! Chapter 6, you took way long! Anyway, if you excuse me, as you read this latest chapter, I'm off to watch A Portal to Mystery... I can't wait.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Temple of the Order

Dawn has finally cracked on the treehouse with the rain long passed. The group went down at the tree house in search for the Order's Temple. As they proceed to find the temple, Raven noticed Axel still cannot get past Lukas' Ocelot history with his quick raise of eyebrow at him.

She then caught up with Axel, who looked at her in the saying of 'what'. She patted her sleeve of a shirt, the sleeve of the arm that was infected with Wither Sickness. She could feel herself getting sapped but somehow she was still standing strong despite her grave condition.

"Axel, sorry for snapping at you last night."Raven apologized.

"Yeah, yeah. I accept that. It's just I can't believe that the leader of the team Jerk-a-lot is coming with us."Axel admitted.

"I mean what I said back then, though. Fine, I only know you all because of yesterday, but still…"Raven trailed off, lost in thought.

"Yeah, I got your point. It's just… I'm worried sick for Petra."Axel replied. "I know she's tough and all but-"

"Hey! There's something over that way!"They looked up to see Lukas standing on a higher ground pointing forward. Axel raised an eyebrow at this while Raven shrugged.

"What is it?"Olivia asked.

"Some kind of building, I think."Lukas answered.

"Let's take a closer look."Jesse said as they began to climb the vines nearby. As they got up, they saw the building. It looked like it was rotting for decades. On the center was a stained glass design of yellow, black, white, blue, red, cyan and green.

"We should head in but we have to be careful around here."Jesse warned as they stepped down to see the building up close.

"What is this place?"Axel asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out."Olivia voiced before they gazed at the building.

"It's the Temple of the Order of the Stone."Lukas replied.

"Lukas, are you sure?"Olivia inquired as Jesse pulled out the amulet-like object Raven saw.

"He's right. Look."Jesse said as they saw the resemblance.

"Holy crap!"Axel gazed in awe.

"Do you think they're in there?"Raven wondered as they went inside.

"Let's go in and find out."Axel replied.

* * *

"Let's just all be careful."Jesse warned as they walked in at the entrance. Olivia nodded an okay. Jesse continued. "If you spot anything call it out. We don't have a lot of time."

"That's an understatement of the decade."Raven muttered as she kept walking.

"Isn't it weird how dispensers are carved to look like spooky little faces?"Axel wondered as he glanced at them. "What do you dispense, little guy?"

"I get the feeling that we don't want to find out." Olivia answered when they heard a skrissh.

"Yeah, something bad is going to happen soon."Raven said as Jesse ordered them to get behind him as they walked. When Jesse stopped, Reuben squeaked in terror as he ran. The group quickly chased him, only aware that they activated pressure plates by the sudden closing of gates behind them, causing Olivia and Lukas to yelp.

"That's probably not a good thing."Axel said when they heard a sound of dispensers about to dispense something. "Aw, come on, dispenser faces! I thought we were friends!"

"No shooter, detective. Flying arrows at nine o' clock! RUN!"Raven exclaimed quickly as the arrows began firing. Raven found it quite a miracle she was able to dodge it with ease despite her Wither Sickness. She's lucky, but she doesn't want to jinx it so she doesn't said anything about it. Waiting for Jesse to make it through, seeing him gasp made her and the group turned around and saw a next batch of dispenser shooting arrows up ahead.

"We're trapped!"Jesse yelped.

"We activated that dispenser with that pressure plate. If we can figure out a way to trigger it again, I'll bet that'll shut them off."Lukas noted when Raven spotted a crafting table.

"A crafting table; maybe something useful from our pockets that we can make can help."Raven beamed before she frowned. "I only got cobblestone in my pockets and my pickaxe and sword, sorry."

"That's okay, Raven. I have a few sticks left over from building the shelter last night."Lukas offered.

"I've got flint… and a piece of string." Olivia said.

"All I have are some chicken feathers that I picked up at EnderCon."Axel said.

"Let's see; I've got some flint and steel, my sword… oh, and some string from a spider that I fought in the woods yesterday."Jesse said. "There's also a slime block but I doubt I could use that."

"String, sticks, flint and feathers."Olivia restated their materials.

"A bow and arrow would do the tri- a fishing rod?"Raven voiced when she paused at seeing Jesse crafted a fishing rod.

"Broaden up your mind, Rae."Jesse shrugged as he swung the fishing rod to hit the pressure plate. As a result, the dispensers soon ran out of arrows.

"You win. I wouldn't be surprised if fishing rods turned out to be lifesavers."Raven rolled her eyes as they proceeded on.

"The Order of the Pig's luck is changing."Axel remarked as they continued trekking at the temple.

* * *

They soon enter a room full of bookshelves with cobwebs hanging around. On the center was a wooden amulet-shaped path that leads to the enchanting table. There was also an amulet shaped hole next to it.

"This… must be their enchanting room."Lukas observed as the gang took a gander at the place.

"Doesn't this look like Ivor's creepy basement?"Axel wondered.

"It does, only replace that creepy part with mysteriously interesting."Raven answered as she examined the bookshelves, with the spines giving a historic vibe by the titles.

" _The battle was fierce, but the Order of the Stone emerged triumphant, saving the land and ensuring that peace and prosperity would reign forever._ "Raven looked up and saw Jesse reading a book from an enchanting table. She then approached him, beckoning the others as well.

"Well, not exactly forever."Lukas commented. Raven nodded in agreement; that Witherstorm (she decided to call the mega Wither that since Jesse told her earlier that's what Ivor called it) changed everything for the worst. Jesse shrugged as he kept on reading.

" _These six members… six friends. Together would give so much to gain their rightful place as six heroes. They would author their own end. They would slay a dragon…_ "

"Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone?"Olivia voiced. "But the stories never mentioned him."

"This might explains why Ivor has such a grudge against Gabriel."Jesse voiced.

"They lied to us. They lied to the whole world."Olivia restated. "Why would they?"

"Man, I can't believe you punched a member of the Order of the Stone."Axel remarked, only to be met by Raven's glare.

"I have no idea, but who's the sixth member?"Raven asked curiously.

Jesse looked at the book before frowning. "The lines are too blurry to read. Though I could see that member's name starts with 'K'."

"K… names that start with K."Raven thought. Somehow, her gut tells her that K, she decides to call the mystery member; can help her solve the puzzle for home. Trusting her instincts has a few hiccups at her before (one time she screwed a two items on a test because of it possibly being trick questions), but Raven's desperate for home, so she'll trust them.

"This is so crazy."Lukas remarked, shocked at the revelation.

"The Order might not be what we thought they were, but that Witherstorm is still out there."Jesse reminded, snapping Lukas from his surprised gaze.

"Jesse's right. We need to focus on what we came here to do."Lukas said.

"Where do these stairs go?"Axel asked as the group turned to him and saw wooden stairs going up.

"Only one way to find out."Jesse replied before they went up the stairs.

* * *

As the group went up, they saw a very open building. It was abandoned, mossy and seems to be rotting for decades. On the front was a map of the world, a pedestal and a platform of a redstone lamp and six levers. At the center was a map with pairs of stained glass of normal glass, green, light blue, red, dark blue and an orchid purple glass and a stair resembling a chair for sitting.

"What happened to the walls?Axel asked as he inspected the place.

"More like, what happened to this whole place?"Raven restated.

"This must have been where they met."Olivia noted.

"So where are they then?"Axel asked.

"Gabriel said that once we find the temple, the amulet would lead you to the Order of the Stone."Jesse said.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Pull it out then."Axel said as Jesse took out the amulet, beckoning the group as they wait for seconds.

Nothing happened.

"Is something supposed to happen?"Olivia asked.

"Well, that was a let-down."Axel shrugged as Jesse put down the amulet.

"There's got to be something we're missing. Look around and see if you can find anything."Jesse stated as they looked around. Raven quickly sat at the staircase as soon as her arm began to ache badly.

"Hey Raven."She turned and saw Lukas smiled sadly at her with a book at his hand. "I was just wondering; you look exhausted today. Are you sick? Have an injury?"

"Umm... sick?"Raven piped, patting her infected arm absentmindedly. Should she tell the others about her sickness? No. She couldn't. She shouldn't. It would make things worse.

"Yeah. Did you have a fever? Did you dislocate your arm? Got a sprain on it because of what we've went through?"Lukas shrugged. "I know first-aid if you do."

"No. I'm just... exhausted. You know, you said Ivor threw me a potion of harming and I was still tired after this Witherstorm running."Raven lied. She hates lying, but she has to. At least she was stating the half-truths.

"Well, you can always talk to me if you have. I hope Petra's okay."Lukas replied before he turned back at his book.

"She would be."Raven sighed as she struggled to walk, trying to conceal the pain as she approached Jesse switching the levers, with the amulet on a pedestal in front of the map. Every time a lever was switched, some stained glasses light up.

"What do you think of the orchid purple glass?"Raven wondered.

"I dunno. Maybe it's for decor, I guess."Jesse shrugged as he pulled the sixth lever but not all of them are lighted up.

"I have an idea; why don't you switch all the levers then turn off the second, fourth and sixth lever?"Raven suggested. Jesse began to do what Raven said before they were met by the lanterns all lighted up, with the redstone lamp in front of the lever shining a white beam at the amulet, making the red and green parts each shoot a beam on the world map.

"It's absoloutely incredible."Olivia remarked as everyone gazed at the sight in the map.

"How do they do this? It might be expert Redstone work..."Raven trailed off before muttering. "Or the amulet is stranger than it seems to be."

"This looks like some sort of tracking system."Jesse said when he trailed off before Raven saw his eyes widen in realization. "It's the Order! It's showing us where they are right now!"

"Look, we don't know enough about how this thing works. Maybe the amulet only works when they're on the surface. Or maybe it doesn't work in the Nether or in the End."Lukas guessed.

"That Wither Storm is still out there."Jesse stated. "We know that Gabriel was trying to tell us something. We've got to find the Order of the Stone."

"No dip. But... there are only two lights in the map? There are only two members of the Order left?"Axel inquired as Jesse approached the map closer.

"He said Soren was missing."Jesse said.

"That leaves Magnus..."Lukas trailed off.

"Or Ellegard."Raven said, tending at her infected sleeve before she muttered to herself. "But where's Gabriel's light? I thought he and Petra made it through."

"Let's head out."Jesse decided.

"I'm not going with you guys. I have to stay here."Lukas said. "Knowing Petra and Gabriel, they're probably doing everything they can to find this place. They're out there. They have to be."

"What if they didn't make it?"Jesse asked.

"Didn't we just saved them? They'll make it."Raven replied.

"But Raven... how can you be sure? They could be... gone."Olivia noted.

"If there's the smallest chance they're still alive, I'm staying."Lukas affirmed. "Go and get help. I'll go and fortify this place before nightfall. I'll need help though. This temple is kind of big. Could at least one of you stick with me?"

"Sounds like Olivia got you covered while Jesse, Reuben, Raven and I are off to finding Magnus."Axel affirmed.

" 'Magnus'? Is this how things are gonna go? We need Ellegard. She's the world's greatest engineer."Olivia corrected. "She can figure out how to stop this monstrosity."

"Olivia, the point we're talking about is destruction. Magnus is its master."Axel pointed out.

"Uh, if you put a little reverse engineering, the Witherstorm could be stopped. Ellegard obviously knows engineering and it's reverse."Olivia convinced.

"What do you think Jesse?"Raven shrugged before she coughed again.

"Get ready to roll, Axel. We're off to find Magnus."Jesse decided.

"Let's do this."Axel nodded.

"Olivia, you stay with Lukas and get the place ready for when Peets and Gabriel comes back, okay?"Jesse planned.

"Did you just gave Petra a nickname?"Raven asked, her lips slightly smiling.

"I didn't meant that."Jesse blurted, leaving Raven to roll her eyes.

"Fine. But all of this is for Petra and Gabriel."Olivia replied.

"You coming Raven?"Jesse asked.

"Nah, I can't. Besides, three of you including Reuben are off to Magnus, and the rest is to stay. I think it's all balanced."Raven reasoned when she coughed again.

"But we might need you with us."Axel nagged.

"You can handle it on your own, I believe you can."Raven replied. "I'm staying and that's final."

"I'll take it."Jesse sighed when Lukas pointed at where he's looking. The Witherstorm was bigger than ever and it was near at them.

"Please hurry."Lukas pleaded, Raven nodded in agreement before she coughed as the group stared at the inevitable threat.

* * *

 ***2 Hours later***

 **Episode 6: A Portal to Mystery is epic. So happy that Telltale and Mojang incorporated famous YouTubers in the mix. As much as I want to tell you about it, my mouth is zipped because heh... spoilers. Anyway ,*checks calendar* Shoot. Schist. No.**

 **Summer's over with me. American people are so lucky.**

 **So this would have slow updates because of school. Anyway, this wraps up the Episode One in this story. Quick heads up: since Raven is staying with Lukas, Episode Two would only be wrapped in two chapters. I may add a song in the next chapter because of... heh, certain closeness reasons. There would be a poll about it in my profile. So, yeah.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	8. Chapter 7: Know You Better

**Original Song wins. Okay… you people are really wanting a piece of my creative juices. But I guess this will win either way, if counting the people I asked about this IRL. The song is self-made; I made the lyrics and I already came up with a tune with it at school (First week jitters). The only thing lacking is to play it in an instrument and maybe post it online. I'm stuck on the third part, and I would really need help for it. The original song isn't the full version, though; I have to cut it so it won't be... repetitive... ish.**

 **So, if it's an original song you want, it's what you get. Let's begin, Chapter 7 aka the first part of Episode 2 in this.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Know You Better

Seeing Jesse, Axel and Reuben set off to find Magnus, Raven felt hopeful that everything would be all right as they began fortifying the temple, starting at the entrance after gathering enough blocks. But Lukas' concern about Petra and Gabriel doubted her. What if they did not—no, they cannot. They're strong for sure. As for her, well, she hopes she could survive. She must not die.

"Raven? You okay there?"Olivia cut off her thoughts looking at her worriedly. "Why are you staring at Lukas, though?"

Wait, she was staring at Lukas in her thoughts. But why? Is she having those 'f words' at him?

"Maybe because he's…"Raven trailed off as she continued fortifying the walls. He's really cute with his blonde hair and he has those clear blue eyes that almost resembles her brother. In addition, his concern and supposed leadership is admirable before Axel got snappy at him last night.

"You like him, don't you?"Raven turned only to meet Olivia's smug grin. Please don't tell her that she blurted what she thought.

"What? No! What makes you think that?"Raven replied; she's not sure anymore. She can't fall in love, since her heart will break eventually. She began to turn from Olivia and walk away, only for her face to slam at one of the stone pillars.

"Well, you were building pillars absentmindedly and your eyes are drifting to him."Olivia stated. "Though, I admit you're right. He's cute with the excellent blonde hair."

Damn it, she said it. Next time, she'll try not to jinx her luck. What is wrong with her feelings? "I said it, didn't I?"Raven deadpanned.

"Yup."Olivia chuckled. "Well, I'm going off to find Ellegaard."

"Yeah… wait, what?"Raven piped. "I thought Magnus would work."

"Well, better safe than sorry if this Magnus won't work out with us."Olivia said as she began to head off. "Besides, you'll work out a lot closer with Mr. Blondie if it's just the two of us."

"We're just friends, Olivia. What do you expect; I'd call him something cool like hot stuff?"Raven blurted, before she face-palmed at what she just said, Olivia chuckling at her mistake. "I could be so much of a dummy…"

"Anyway, I'm off. Take care of yourself and…"Olivia giggled. "… 'Hot stuff'."

"Yeah, you too."Raven said, hoping that she wasn't blushing like the reddest tomato she's seen. Now she's alone with Lukas who was continuing to build until he groaned. "This place is just big, isn't it?"He turned to meet Raven's glance, noticing that Olivia was missing.

"Where's Olivia?"He asked.

"Went to find Ellegaard. I think she'll be fine."Raven said when she coughed again. "Anyway, I'll get more blocks."Before she could go, Lukas grabbed her hand.

"Are you sure? You look sick and are those eye bags on your face…"Lukas trailed off. Few hours passed and she's having eye bags next. Unbelievable. Raven wants to leave but somehow she felt a bit… comfortable with Lukas around her. Does that mean she is- no.

Ignore them, but she can't. Oh, come on, out of all the things that could happen; it has to be this way!

"I'll be fine. I promise."Raven assured, not sure, if it was directly at Lukas or at herself. Maybe both.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."She heard the male voice again hissed at her brain, her head feeling nauseating.

"When I said get out yesterday, I meant it. So get out."Raven growled in her mind at the voice.

"Right… nah. I'll just stick around for awhile. Your mind is having lots of blushing moments."The voice chuckled.

"Don't you dare, Nags."Raven muttered until she shook her head, her mind much clearer now. Good. She hopes that it stays that way. When did the word 'Nags' come from, she didn't care but the voice is a nagger.

"Like I said, I'll be fine."Raven chimed before she left the temple and began to gather cobblestone in a nearby cave with her pickaxe.

"Why do I always feel that way?"She wondered as she mined. Something is definitely wrong with her, but she can't figure out what, how or why.

"Because you're in lo-"

"No! Get out of my head already, Nags!"Raven snapped, her voice echoing at the empty cave. "What are you doing in here again?"

"Force you to confess that you like Lukas. Oh, and I like your choice of words for my name, though that's not mine."

"Shut up. That'll never happen."Raven rolled her eyes.

"Eh, as always, the stubborn Raven head, people."Raven could hear clapping, probably as a sign of mockery. "You'll crack up one way or another."

Raven sighed, hoping that he's gone for good. As she finally gathered a good stack of cobblestone, she trekked forward, thoughts all cuddled up on her.

"If only I know what's wrong with me… but if I know what I want aside from coming home…. I want to know more about him…"She trailed off before her heart felt like singing. Obeying her heart, she sang.

 _"_ _When you're feeling lost_

 _When you're feeling scared_

 _Know that someone will_

 _Always guide you way."_

She thought about what happened yesterday, saving Petra's life that costs her healthy self. Later on, Lukas told her that Ivor saved her life from being Wither Dinner when they were in the Nether. And with her self-discovery last night that Ivor cared for her fuels the need to know him better.

Little did she know, inside the temple, a certain someone feels the same way as she does.

* * *

Lukas gazed at the outside, hoping that Raven would be fine. Now that he thought about it, he began to get curious about her. He never gets the chance to know her better since yesterday. Sure, she could get scary when she snapped last night, but she was optimistic, kind and brave. He began to sing. Singing always calms him.

 _"_ _When you're feeling hopeless_

 _When you're feeling doubtful_

 _Know that someone will_

 _Always cheer you on."_

She remained hopeful despite Axel's moping; she has a limit that would mean trouble when broken. But in the end, Lukas spotted Raven and Axel talking a few hours ago. She was cool enough to bury the hatchet.

* * *

Raven has entered the temple, avoiding the pressure plate trap and began to enter the enchantment room, with bookshelves adorning the place. Raven traced her hand on one of them, a history book, and her fingers were sliding to the other books as she passed.

 _"_ _The stories may not mentioned him_

 _That doesn't mean he's bad all in all."_

Ivor may have summoned a giant Wither ready to turn the world into its dinner, but it has to have a purpose aside from humiliating Gabriel. Raven is determined to know that hidden purpose. It could be the key to understand him, and possibly the way for home.

* * *

Lukas walked to the map, replaying all the moments he had with Raven in their crazy journey. Greeting her when she saves Jesse's work, then she saves him in the basement, then he carries her through the Nether, and she defends him from Axel.

 _"_ _I may just met her yesterday_

 _That doesn't mean she's clean through and through."_

Everyone has secrets; Lukas knows that fact. If someone said that they are transparent that you could see their secrets, they're lying or it was a joke. It could be small or it could be big. Raven's no exception from that rule.

* * *

Raven then approached the stairs; the feeling of seeking the knowledge was getting stronger by the second. She then stepped on one of the stairs, before bursting out into song.

 _"_ _Ivor, tell me your story please_

 _I just want to know you better (know you better)."_

Her final words echoed at the stairs above. Raven smiled at this. She didn't mind singing. It always clears the negativity away from her. She felt alone, with her own voice cheering her up.

* * *

Lukas turned away from the map and started to pour out what he wants.

 _"_ _Raven, you can trust me_

 _All of this is to know you better (know you better)."_

If you want to know, you have to get the trust. His knowledge about Raven's origins wouldn't end up being bad. It's for curiosity's sake. Maybe he could help her also if he knew the problem.

* * *

Raven passed by the stairs, singing, unaware that Lukas was listening.

 _"_ _No matter how hard you try…"_

Lukas saw her and smiled. Her voice was like an angel, pure and heartwarming. He sang again.

 _"_ _The truth will crack into your eyes."_

Raven was shocked at his beautiful voice. "Lukas! Um… uh... I brought some cobblestone. Would this do?"She stammered.

"I think it would do. Thanks."Lukas smiled as he took half of it. "After you..."He jokingly gave way.

"No, I think it's after you, Prince."Raven giggled before covering her mouth at what she said. Prince? Geez, what is the matter with her? Lukas was unfazed and just chuckled at her action.

As they began to build on the heading that looks forward to the sky and the Nether portal underground on different sides of the temple. Raven turns to look at Lukas. She hopes he would be fine after this Wither madness. Now, her thoughts are on Ivor. She then sang quiet enough so Lukas won't hear it.

 _"_ _He may be a coward_

 _He may be cold_

 _But from saving my life_

 _Lays a heart of stone and gold."_

He did run away from his monstrosity; he was cold based on his background. But people change and for him, it was the moment he saved her. Sure, Lukas noted that Ivor did it because of pity, not that he wanted to. One-half of his heart may be stone, but Raven could see that buried in the other half of the stone heart, is a half of a heart of gold.

* * *

Lukas glanced at Raven as he kept building. She can be terrifying if you nagged her long enough, and she felt a bit weak. It must have been Ivor's harming potion that seemed to last like forever. If only he has some extra bread to feed her, at least so she will be fine.

 _"_ _She may look weak_

 _She may act moody_

 _But from what we've been through_

 _Her kindness shine bright like stars."_

She has a sense of justice, defending people even though she doesn't know them yet. She looked weak, but that's justified. They just escaped a Witherstorm out to get them! Still, her kindness shone like a light through the dark tunnel of doubt.

* * *

Raven coughed once. Twice. Thrice. A cold feeling settled on her, like hypothermia. She shivered, fearing it would last longer than expected. It wasn't even cold to be honest, but to her it is.

 _"_ _No matter how far you go..."_

She hummed gently, patting her infected arm before she felt herself shiver. She sighed when she felt something warm wrap on her back.

 _"_ _The truth will follow and then know..."_

She turned her head and saw Lukas smiling in concern as he hugged her gently, wrapping his jacket on her back. She has to admit; without the leather jacket, Lukas is so handsome. It felt like a fairytale, him and her, with no one bothering.

It was perfect.

" _Know you better..._ "Raven whispered gently when she coughed as Lukas let go of her to give her space.

Of course. Of course, it is too good to be true.

"Are you going to be okay?"Lukas asked before they sat on the stair-made chairs. "We did finish fortifying everything in here."

"Hopefully..."Raven trailed off, the cold fading a little. Silence reigned for a few moments.

Lukas then spoke up. "I was wondering... where do you live before you got here?"

Raven tensed subtly. She should have known this was coming. She took a deep breath before she spoke, twisting the truth. She doesn't want to lie; Lukas is her friend, but she doesn't want to tell the truth either.

"Well, I lived from a far city. That city is amazing as locals sometimes called it 'The City of Lights' since every night, if you look at the tallest tower of the city, you could see everything on lights as if they're stars on the ground. Heck, even the tower itself is lighted up!"Raven explained.

"Wow. How do people build it though? The architecture must have been that impressive."Lukas remarked in amazement, before he looked at her in concern. "So why did you came here? Your city seemed too great to leave it."

"Well..."Raven couldn't exactly explain this part properly. "Before I got here, I was with my younger brother. We were bonding with each other until..."She took a deep breath when a mental picture of Cedric came up in her mind. _Don't cry. He'll be fine._

"I felt pain within myself. We were panicking. We didn't know what was going on. I passed out and the next moment I woke up, I was in the woods. I was confused; I thought I was left there to die... until I heard Jesse and his friends' voices. I followed them, until they led me into the building competition and..."Raven confessed. "You know what happens next."

"You came in to watch it, then Aiden releases lava and... yeah I get it."Lukas continued before he looked at her in concern. "I'm sorry. Hopefully when this Witherstorm thing is over, we could help find your way back home."

"No, no, no. You've done all too much."Raven said before she coughed again, with Lukas patting her shoulder to let it all out. "Let's just focus on this Witherstorm at first. I'm scared... what if we didn't make it?"

"We can. We won't let our spirits go down. Jesse and Petra would say that if they're here."Lukas said as they looked at the landscape. It was dusk. It will be nightfall soon.

"I guess you're right."Raven sighed wearily when they heard screams. They quickly head down at the temple and saw a stray skeleton and a zombie attacking two people. The pair couldn't make out who they were, but Raven figured out they need help.

"So... zombie or skeleton?"Lukas asked as he got out his bow.

"I'll take the skeleton."Raven said before she unsheathed her stone sword. She charged and slashed at the skeleton, causing it to attack her next. Typical. Raven kept hitting the skeleton before it fell down, bones replacing it. Raven grinned in victory, before she coughed. Her Wither Sickness is getting worse.

No. No, no, no, no. She is not planning her death wish or her deathbed. _Don't give up. You shouldn't quit._

"Gabriel? Petra? I knew you two would be all right!"Raven turned and gasped as she witnessed Lukas hugged Gabriel the Warrior. She soon felt a warm hug on her and it came from Petra. Raven smiled in thanks.

"We ran for our lives here, finding the Temple and it's good to still see it standing."Gabriel commented. "It stands as a stronghold, a hope."

"Yeah, we have to fortify it in case the others came back by night."Raven shrugged. "Come on, we'll stay inside. I don't want any creeper busting in here."

* * *

Raven didn't mind waiting near the door; she kind of needs the darkness the cover the purple dot that continues to weaken her. Lukas took care of guard duty, seeing she wasn't faring well. Raven let him go; she felt exhausted. She patted her infected left arm, tending to its pain while biting her lip not to scream. Petra and Gabriel were also with her; she didn't know why, but she didn't mind, as long as they don't find out her secret.

"Hey Raven, are you okay?"Petra piped as she looked at her concernedly. "I would like to thank you again from what you did back there."

"Yeah, sure... I'm fine really."Raven lied as she began to walk away, only for Petra to yank her left arm. It made her dark purple bane of existence hurt even more. "Argh!"She yelped before she tended to her left arm quickly.

"Raven, am I correct? Do you know what a Wither is? More specifically, Wither Sickness?"Gabriel asked. Someone is stepping way too close for comfort, more so her secret.

"I know what that is. Why do you-COUGH!"Raven replied when her knees bent down against her will, weakening with her left arm exposing her Wither Sickness.

She should have known better than to jinx it. Hopefully they're trustworthy and they won't tell anybody. It's painful, feeling as if you're dying slowly and you can't stop it since you don't have milk and it came from a mutant Wither.

"Oh Notch, that is bad. No, might be worse."She could hear Petra's remarks as Gabriel and Petra looked at her slowly.

"Don't tell anyone. Please."Raven begged, her voice cracking slightly.

"It's okay. You see, we were hoping if all of us could keep this 'Wither' secret."Gabriel confessed.

It soon dawned on Raven and before she could say the realization, Gabriel and Petra showed her their left hands and Raven could see the same purple pixel that scarred her life.

They have Wither Sickness.

Raven began to compare on how purplish they are as she glanced at her infected arm. Gabriel seemed to be the least purplish, probably because he's a Warrior who can already survived events that are life-threatening. Petra is next; her purple mark is slightly dark purplish than Gabriel's and she also has the eye marks Raven has. But looking on her bane of existence quivered her hopes, making it pessimistic even.

She has the most purplish mark.

She has the worst case of Wither Sickness.

"Crud."Raven blurted, feeling the sickness trying to overcome her. She bit her lip, trying not to scream and not shed tears of pessimism. She has to be strong. No, she must stay strong.

"I'll take the secret to the grave."Raven coughed.

"We thought the same thing. We can't afford anymore panic."Gabriel said as he helped Raven up. Raven smiled in gratitude. They are trustworthy.

"I have to go. This is... a lot to take in."She said before she headed to the enchanting room, dodging the arrow traps along the way.

* * *

"Come on... come on... there's got to be more information about 'K'."Raven muttered as she keeps flipping the pages on the book where she found about the Order's history, but she finds nothing useful.

"Did Ivor really cared about me... or was it just empty pity?"Raven thought, starting to feel doubt on hoping on Ivor's sympathy. What if it's just fake? She keeps turning the pages before she hacked into a cough again. Her vision was slowly getting blurry as she kept coughing and shivering...

Until she met black.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Yes, come on... go ahead... at least I updated. I was going to make Raven see Magnus & Ellegaard argue about the F-Bomb, but... I decided against it. Not because I'm lazy to write it, take note of that. I have my reasons.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	9. Chapter 8: Into the Fortress

**Well, this was long overdue. I know, I know, it's been a while since I've updated, but give a girl some space. I have a case of writing excerpts that happens in the sequel or in the future events than the current one. (Along with other series that starts popping up in my head.) Strange, yeah, and if someone tells me I could have written it in the proper time, well let's just say I want to write my ideas down as soon they popped out in my mind so I don't forget it.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Into the Fortress

Darkness. That was all she felt and saw. Raven tried to feel her way, finding a light source when she heard a voice.

"No, please... I can't do this!"Raven turned around and saw Cedric on his knees, his arms having scars and his voice cracking. She gasped as she ran to him, only to be slammed by a glass wall in front of her. She groaned in pain, pressing her face to the glass to see her brother closer.

Cedric starts to cough, crying in pain as the sounds of whips slashing on him echoed in Raven's mind. Raven cried out for her brother, tears blurring her vision as she witnessed her redhead brother in pain. She was his sister. She was supposed to protect him and guide him, because that's what siblings do for one another.

But look at her right now; lost in a world, slowly withering into death because of a savage Witherstorm.

"Aw, look at that poor girl. Helpless, can you?"A female voice taunted, piercing Raven's quiet sobs in the air. "You'll never get home. He'll forget you anyway."

"No, he couldn't forget me."Raven held her breath tight as she closed her eyes, remembering every moment she spent with her brother will comfort her. She knew it, deep in her heart, that they'll never forget each other, settling on her like a feeling.

"Oh, really? Well, he wasn't even your brother anyway. He was just adopted... he didn't give a care whether you're sick or not."The voice chuckled, her words echoing near Raven's face.

That was the last straw for Raven. Adopted or not, Cedric is still her younger brother, and she'll do whatever it takes to find her way home and keep him safe. She knows he cares for her... and that last sentence was an insult to her face.

"Shut the heck up!"She yelled as she opened her eyes and punched the closest thing that was next to her... and hit the grassy dirt in the end.

Raven got up and witnessed just in time to see a zombie dropped rotten flesh in the dark moonlight in the woods. _Just a dream._ She muttered repeatedly before the prickling pain on her left arm. Oh yeah, her Wither Sickness hurts like icy hell all over. Where was she anyway? The last time she was awake, she was at the Temple... now she's in the woods... in the dark... not the best way to survive.

Speak of the devil, she turned around at the sound and saw the Witherstorm roaring in monstrosity, casting shadows in the world. Ah, damn it, damn it, damn it!

"Not again..."Raven muttered before she heard Lukas called to her.

"Raven! Thank Notch you're awake!"Lukas said before he grabbed her hand; Raven wincing slightly at this as she tries to keep with the others. "What happened back there? You just fainted in the enchanting room."

"Fatigue... I was a lot more tired than I expected it to be."Raven replied before she coughed, meeting up with the others, all of them sighing in relief at her okay condition, especially Petra and Gabriel. "You know, I'm getting sick of that Witherstorm chasing us like cat and mice."

"I can agree to that; I'm glad you're okay. Raven, wasn't it?"A woman with short brown hair wearing red, gold and brown armor remarked. Raven probably guessed it was Ellegaard; her armor's color scheme was a dead giveaway that she operates a lot of redstone work.

"How far is Soren, anyway?"She heard Axel inquired, with Gabriel replying that they can't be much farther and that they could make it. Raven sighed; oh, she missed a lot, she's just going along with the plan that she never knew because she fainted. Brilliant streak of luck for her there, right? Not really.

The group climbed into a slope of blocks that leads to the entrance, which Reuben was there, thankfully. Somehow, that pig manages to evoke the smile on Raven's face despite the circumstances. Is he that charming enough to do that? Maybe.

* * *

The doors slowly opened to the group, revealing a pathway to another door, quartz blocks and maybe blue wool adorning the room.

"What was the plan?"Raven whispered to Petra and Gabriel as they walked on, hearing comments from Lukas about the place.

"We're going to find Soren. He has this Super TNT that we can make into a Formidi-Bomb. With it, it could destroy anything, possibly the Witherstorm itself."Gabriel replied.

"Thanks for the answer, I needed it a lot."Raven remarked before she coughed again, shivering slightly at the cold. The Warriors coughed too, before Raven pat them both in the shoulders, smiling sadly before she sneezed softly.

"You know, you sneezed like a kitten."Petra noted.

"Ha-ha."Raven rolled her eyes as they entered the next room, uncertain if that was a good thing or a bad thing. This room has a door on the other side but has columns made from clay and gravel, which can lead into the black unknown below if one falls down. Raven is just glad she's not acrophobic.

"Yeah, and I'm really not feeling those columns."Lukas commented, but a bald man wearing an eye mask and green armor stepped into the first column. Raven thought this was the other person, Magnus. He remarked that the columns are just fine but Raven can't help but feel paranoid about them. Well, you would be a little scared of everything when you're sick and slowly about to die.

Axel excitedly jumped on the column, followed by Olivia and Lukas along with Gabriel and Petra. Raven glanced at Jesse and Reuben.

"Good luck. I'm scared."Raven sighed before she jumped at the first column, trying hard not to look down. She jumped again, but her momentum was early that she tripped and fell below the black unknown.

Let's just say when she fell down, it hurts like hell spread all over her that she yelped loudly. It's quite a miracle that she was still able to stand up. Is some unknown force helping her or what? Well, she can count on her blessings and curses later. She got up and dusted herself off in one of the columns when she saw Jesse and Reuben fall down as well.

"Raven... you fell down too?"Jesse whispered quietly as Raven carefully tiptoed to them. "We've got a little Endermen problem here."Raven looked on one side and sure enough, tall Endermen carrying blocks with purple eyes were roaming around.

"I don't think that's a little Endermen problem."Raven noted, with her voice cracking slightly before she coughed. Reuben squealed as he ran away. Raven attempts to chase him when she felt a heavy weight on her body and was slammed to the ground hard.

"AHHH!"That hurts... even worse. "I'm so sorry, Raven. Are you okay?"Raven looked up and saw Lukas in front of her, offering her a hand up. She took it as she got up, wincing subtly in pain. He must have fell on her then.

"Yeah, I guess..."Raven trailed off, tending to her aching back.

"Anyway, I heard your voices and thought I would come down to help."Lukas piped before he glanced at the Endermen. "That's a lot."

"Yeah, I didn't think they ever came in groups that big."Jesse agreed.

"Thanks for coming back for us, Lukas."Raven smiled as she turned to the blonde boy, even though it made her condition hurt even more... it was kind of him to go back for them. Lukas smiled at them in return before he scratched his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry for that thing earlier.

"That was an-"Before Raven could continue, Reuben's loud squeals echoed around the room, Jesse noting that he's getting their attention. He slowly turned around, only to meet an Enderman screeching at his face.

Raven screamed as she ran, losing sight of her friends, which is bad since she doesn't want any of them or herself to be Ender chow. She tried finding them but she was soon cornered with more Endermen. Ah, crud! Raven tried to keep herself safe when she tripped (again, why does she keeps tripping?) and fell in a stream of water.

At least it's just water; if it's another quartz platform again, her back's going to undergo major therapy when this is all over... if the Wither Sickness wouldn't fade away that easy from her.

Raven was usually fine with swimming, but with her Wither Sickness, it made her shiver as if she was frozen in ice. She looked up and saw Jesse and Lukas fall down to stream, the Endermen just screeching at them in the stream. Reuben jumped soon afterwards before all four of them fell in a waterfall that lies ahead. It didn't hurt as much as falling in land, but it still hurts a little... and sends more sneezes to her.

The group gasped for air before they swam at the nearby ground. That nearby ground has a giant replica of the amulet with the center, each side having four statues with a unique color. They heard Magnus and Ellegaard arguing about the building as they swam. When the group got up from the water, Ellegaard stormed off, finding the Super TNT by herself on one path, with Magnus likewise doing the same on the other path.

"Just a side note, but do they hate each other a lot?"Raven piped at Jesse.

"I guess so."Jesse shrugged. "They have a lot of issues to work on lately."

"It's hard to pick 'glass half-full' when they keep kicking the glass over."Olivia remarked before Raven drifted off to see Gabriel and Petra.

"Are you all holding up well?"Raven asked before she coughed.

"I think it's gonna get worse by the minute."Gabriel answered.

"Maybe we should tell Jesse about this."Petra suggested. "I trust him."

"Are you sure?"Gabriel asked. "What if it might cause panic?"

"I trust him too, Gabriel."Raven agreed. "He's worth it." She glanced at Jesse, about to take Ellegaard's path.

"Let's do it."Petra then patted Jesse on the shoulder, causing him to turn around and look at them.

"Are you guys, okay?"Jesse asked softly.

"I'm sorry. We... we don't want to worry you or something like that..."Raven began softly, seeing everyone approaching them. She can trust him.

"There's just something we need to talk about, Jesse."Gabriel continued.

"In private."Petra finished, glancing at Raven and Gabriel. Jesse looked around before he sighed.

"Uh, let's split up, guys."No one said anything, but Raven, Jesse, Reuben, Gabriel and Petra went on Ellegaard's path while the rest followed Magnus' path.

* * *

Reuben oinked loudly behind them, causing Raven to sigh as the group walked in silence. Who should be the first to elaborate this? She glanced at the Warriors and Gabriel nodded, offering to be the first to tell the story.

"As much as we're aware that letting them head off alone was risky, we have to talk to you about a private matter we're dealing with."Gabriel began.

"It's... not so easy telling you this."Petra added.

"Hey, whatever it is... I trust you all. You can tell me."Jesse replied softly.

"T-Thanks a l-lot, J-Jesse."Raven stuttered before she coughed the loudest cough she had. Oh, geez, it just had to go worse on here!

"Raven, do you have a bad cough?"Jesse asked in concern as the group stopped walking, with Petra and Gabriel glancing at the remaining pair.

"You and Raven got us out of the Witherstorm... but we're worried we didn't get away quick enough..."Petra began.

"And, I was grabbed by a tentacle twice and... I've got sucked into a tractor beam once."Raven explained. Jesse asked what before the trio showed their infected arms, Reuben squealing at the sight. _No turning back right now, he would know._

"We discovered it not long after the rescue."Gabriel continued, before Raven coughed loudly again, the sound echoing around the pathway.

"You're not... sick, aren't you?"Jesse asked nervously.

"I wish."Raven laughed dryly. Oh, how she wished it didn't end up like this, but no. It **had** to end up like this because luck hates her so much.

 _"_ _You're seriously not counting your blessings, aren't you?"_ Oh and speak of the devil, it's that same voice that nagged her about Lukas' feelings. She's seriously calling that voice Nags from now on.

 _"_ _What do you want?"_ She hissed in her mind, knowing well that nagger would hear her thoughts.

 _"_ _Well, I'm not talking about my concerns. I'm talking about_ _ **your**_ _concerns."_ Nags replied.

 _"_ _What? It's not like you care."_ Raven snorted.

 _"_ _Things change, Ravy Davy."_ Nags said the last part in a baby tone, and let's just say Raven was irritated as if Nags was a fly on her nose.

"Creeper!"Before she could come back with an insult, Petra's yelp snapped her thoughts about Nags. The Creeper exploded, and Raven fell from the impact of the explosion along with Jesse. Ah, damn that occasional stupid voice in her head.

Raven gripped Jesse's foot with her unaffected arm, hoping Gabriel and Petra's combined grip on them is strong enough to lift them up. Unfortunately, it didn't and Jesse and Raven met the hard impact of the ground, the amulet rolling out of his pocket and around a hole in the basement, a navy blue glow casting as a light source for the pair.

Raven's back hurts more than ever. Stupid Nags. If he wasn't bugging her, she would have avoided the explosion and therefore, she wouldn't fell down.

"My strength is compromised. I couldn't maintain my grip. I'm so sorry."She heard Gabriel apologized, the one responsible for the slip up fall as he, Reuben and Petra glanced at them worriedly while Raven got up from the fall.

"Don't worry. We're good."Jesse replied as Raven tended to her back. Raven looked up and saw Petra stand, Reuben at her side.

"Stay safe down there. We'll find a way down to you."Petra promised before the Warriors and Reuben left, the pig taking one worried look at them before he went to the Warriors.

"So, it's just you and me now?"Raven asked as she glanced at Jesse, who just picked up the amulet with his hand.

"Yeah."Jesse nodded before the pair saw a dark pathway with random holes everywhere, the amulet's blue glow shedding light on the area. "Let's go. I think that might lead us to Soren."

* * *

As the pair walked in the tunnel, Raven glanced at Jesse, tucking a fringe of her hair into her right diamond clip. They soon came to a room that has a large door. Stepping past it, they were greeted with the sight of tall towers and hundreds of bookshelves in a large room. Lampposts that were made out of fences and glowstone adorned the area, even having some glowstone near the bookshelves, basking the room in a faint golden light.

On the top of the room was a chandelier made out of glowstone, and on the ground, a somewhat similar replica of the Amulet was etched on it.

"Wonders..."Raven trailed off in the silence, with Jesse nodding in agreement.

"You can say that again."He agreed as they walked further.

When Raven soon saw a silhouette of a man, her left arms starts stinging badly and her vision was getting blurry. She couldn't hear Jesse's voice clearly, but she was able to muster up the voice to say she's okay.

If the definition of okay, is a painful stinging on the left arm, unclear voices and blurred vision, then yeah. But it's not okay.

Is it really that bad? Is she really withering away into death?

Raven collapsed, her breath taking a quick hitch and her heart beating faster than she expected. This shouldn't be happening. She can't- no, scratch that; she mustn't die. She may be repeating these words in her head quite frequently that you think it would be a habit, but she has to. She must survive.

She heard yelling and a soft call of concern as she clutched her head with both of her palms, her vision shifting from black to her blurry surroundings.

"-you go, Ivor."

"Let him share his side..."Her voice tried to act clear; voicing her concern for the man who saved her from not withering away but in reality, it appeared to be slurred speech.

So she can't talk properly now? Damn, is the Wither effects the same as getting drunk? Not that she drank any alcohol prior to this.

"You need help, don't you?"A voice whispered that sounds like- No! She doesn't need Nags in her head right now!

"Get the Nether out of here; I don't freaking need you."Raven muttered.

"Yes, you do. You're walking in a thin tightrope of life and death."

"I'm not."

"If you don't fight back and accept my offer, I'll let you wither yourself."Nags said nonchalantly. As if he was more of a sarcastic creeper enough...

"What's your offer?"Raven quietly grunted.

"I'll be your backbone support. I won't be able to heal you completely, but I'll reduce the amount of pain to the extent of an impaled iron sword. In short, you won't wither that fast but you'll still wither."

"That is still not helpful."

"Well, excuse me, Princess!"

"Shut up."Raven gritted her teeth. "What's the catch?"

"In return, I'll live in your mind until this blows over. So, deal?"A small, silver triangle appeared in the immense blackness of Raven's consciousness. "Just grab the chip, Rae-rae."

That annoying nickname aside; Raven rubbed her head before she sighed. She doesn't have that much of a choice, did she?i

"Fine. Deal."She relucantly agreed as she grabbed the chip. A wave of fresh air surged within her, ebbing most of the pain away and clearing the blurriness.

Keyword: most. Some portions are still blurry to her and the pain is still there, but as long as Raven can stand up properly, it'll be okay.

"Oh, and there are some other last things-"As Nags rambled on, Raven spotted a splash potion of harming heading straight to Petra.

So she and Gabriel along with Reuben got here already? Wait... she looked further and her body lurches forward without thinking it throughly, rushing to take a hit of a splash potion from Petra.

"Don't do anything..." Raven jumped as the potion hit her chest, knocking her off to the stone floor.

"Stupid."Nags sighed. "Are you really that stupid?"

Raven breathed, the ceiling slowly fading into black in her eyes. The voices around her cry in unclear before she heard the clashing of metal ringing in her ears.

"Depends; but I trust you would keep the deal..."She mustered to think as she tries to find the perfect name for him. Nags wasn't his real name after all.

"Coddi."She finished: the name satisfying her before her mind drifted into oblivion.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas 2016! You may be asking, she fainted again; why? Well, Raven's Wither Sickness is more intense than Petra's or Gabriel's so she agreed to a deal where the rate of her Sickness would slow down to our Warriors' rate. So, this is kind of my present for not updating for so long. To those who looks forward to an update, here you go.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Guest who comments about F-Bomb: You could say that. I'm sorry if that conversation wasn't covered last chapter. I guess while that happened, Raven was too tired and she fainted.**

 **Guest who comments about adding Cedric's POV: Yeah, about that. I don't think it would be added in here. There would be a companion book detailing that and it would be one of my projects for 2017.**

 **But about Nags or Coddi, as Raven would now call him (not saying it's his real name though), he would be an interesting character in the next chapters as he resides on Raven's head and make snarky comments until the Witherstorm is stopped for good.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


	10. Chapter 9: Courage in Grinders

**Huzzah! I'm alive and I'm not gone.**

 **Alright, so you probably be all wondering, 'What the heck, why are you not posting for four months? Are you going to put this on hiatus?'**

 **Well, here's my answer. The reason why this is so slow, is a) School can be a pea-shooter, b) Writer's Block is terrible, and c) I have a Writer's Overload on the wrong fanfiction railroad because of my crazy crossover mashups.**

 **Ah... trust me, you might see a crossover between this game and a certain Malaysian cartoon if that idea is going through smoothly.**

 **And no, this isn't on hiatus, but I will assure you that the updates in here are in an unexpected schedule.**

 **Anyway, as it turns out, May might be my only chance of giving good updates, because when June arrives, I'll be back in school and having to juggle every over-reactive imagination that I have.**

 **So, with that all out of the way, let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 9: Courage in Grinders

"...ven..."

"...Raven..."

"Raven!"

"...wha..."Raven opened her eyes, only to meet Petra's weak eyes glazing at her worriedly. "...Happened...?"She tried to stand up, with Petra helping her up before she hugged her tightly, a warm sensation filling her. Was she freezing back then? What even happened that led her to another fainting?

Honestly, she's getting sick of fainting all over and that she had to ask her friends about what was happening when she woke up afterwards.

 ** _"You feel like you're going to say that question more times than you can remember."_** A male voice said in the back of her head. For some reason, it was familiar to her, but that seemed unlikely. Raven blinked her eyes in confusion. What was that?

"Raven, thank you... but please,"Petra frowned in concern. "Don't you dare do that or any stupid things again."

"*cough* Uh... your welcome?"Raven replied before Petra released her hug. She then glanced around the room. Gabriel was next to Petra, looking just as concerned as she was. Axel and Olivia rested in one corner of the room and Jesse seemed to be talking to them, the Amulet in his hand. What were they talking about, Raven didn't know; their voices were in hushed tones. Lukas was frowning, his arms crossed as he leaned to a pillar next to the closed door.

Wait a minute.

Why was the door closed? It was open before, she seemed to recall.

 ** _"You feel that you play a part on what happened before you fainted..."_** The male voice commented again with an amused tone. **_"In which you do, you lovey-dovey kitty, but your head seemed to have fainted so long that you forgot what happened."_**

It spoke again as Raven gritted her teeth. Whoever this voice, he sure had a way to get under her skin. The way that voice mentioned them had a hint as if he knew her. Well, why would someone apparently in the back of her head knew her? It could have been her imagination.

"What did happen?"Raven asked, absently brushing her hair with her fingers. A freezing chill danced on her left arm, causing her to absently rub her arm. She glanced at her Wither Sickness; it was worse than before, spreading to her forearm, while having the same deep purple shade on it.

She starts to cough as she felt her skin freezing. It's getting really worse. Her arm felt numb as if she couldn't move it at all, just moving it brought more pain prickling within her arm.

 ** _"Oh look, you did say that question again."_**

" _Oh look, why don't you shut up for a change, will you?_ "Raven mentally snarked before she glanced at Petra and Gabriel, hoping they would tell her what did happen.

"When Gabriel and I got there, you were kneeling and shivering in pain. Gabriel was holding you in the back while I had to help Jesse."Petra explained.

"You do realize that it should have been the other way around? You could have gotten hurt."Gabriel remarked.

"It already happened, Gabriel."Petra closed her eyes before opening them again. "Anyway, while Jesse and I were fighting him, Ivor was supposed to strike me with one of his Potions..."Petra paused before she hugged her again. "But you burst in all of a sudden, taking the hit before you fainted."

"As much as how risky that was, that was very brave of you Raven."Gabriel acknowledged.

Now she remembers... the sudden spike of Wither Sickness... that deal with him... wait a minute, did she just let someone who constantly nagged her in the back of her head inside of her head?!

 ** _"Aha! It seems that your mind has realized that it's not in Kansas anymore, Ave."_**

"It certainly does,"Raven gritted her teeth before she glanced at Gabriel and Petra, who looked at her in concern. "Thanks for the information, you guys."She smiled as she massaged her left arm.

"It's no problem for a friend of mine."Gabriel replied gently as Raven smiled back at him.

"I just hope we can get to Soren in time."Petra sighed worriedly.

"I'm sure we will."Raven assured before she glanced again at her infected arm. To everyone's eyes, it may seem that she's looking at her arm, worriedly. That was true, but this also served as another purpose. A purpose that she didn't want to use because on whoever she's going to talk to, she's not going to like them.

 ** _"Are you done now, Ave?"_**

Huh, how convenient of him. But his amused tone of treating everything Raven was going through as a joke slightly ticked her off. "Oh most certainly, you little sc-"she quietly muttered in her gritted teeth.

 ** _"Ah, ah, ah. I don't recommend foul language, sweetheart. I have a name, Ave. You called me Coddi earlier."_**

"Right..."Raven grunted mentally, rolling her eyes at the remark.

 ** _"Hey, since when did I lie to you, huh? I don't cheat on deals that I make, you know."_**

"You know what, I'm just going to talk to you somewhere private, but definitely not now."Raven answered in her thoughts, her tolerance gradually reaching its tipping point.

 ** _"Oh, and why, pray tell, do you want to talk to me? I'm usually the one cracking icebreakers, unlike you."_**

Raven breathed calmly, trying to control her temper. If this Na-Coddi sent her here under someone's particular orders, she has to know on who hired the little nagger. "I want to learn more about you."She slowly stated.

 ** _"You... want to learn more about_** _**me?"**_ Coddi remarked in shock, much to Raven's surprise, but she could still hear a hint of amusement. Whether he was mocking her or not, she has no idea. The former is more possible to happen. **_"How sweet of you, Rae."_**

"Don't call me that, Codfish. It'll only be a little chat."

 ** _"It's Coddi."_** Coddi huffed, from what Raven could hear. **_"Geez, you can't make up your mind, you know that? One moment you call me Nags, then Coddi, and then Codfish. Should I call you Abri then? Ela, as in Ela-nella?"_**

"Shut up."Raven muttered, having found interest at where Jesse was shining the Amulet into a spot of the stone floor.

 ** _"No, no, no... I'd like you to-"_**

"I mean it and we'll deal with this later, Coddi."Raven muttered, saying the last as she heard Jesse spoke.

"...I found the spot."Raven glanced at Jesse remarking, having the Amulet's white bar glowing brightly. Everyone looked at where the Amulet is shining through uncertainly, as Jesse gently bent down and lowered the Amulet to the ground, the glow gradually getting brighter and brighter until it hit the floor with a small _clink_. "It has to be."

"Maybe..."Axel remarked as everyone approached Jesse, but not before Axel giving a warm smile to Raven. "Glad to see you're up, Rae."

"I'd say the same to you as well, Axel."Raven beamed a grin as she noticed everyone's expressions cracked a smile, probably glad that she's finally up. Jesse then lifted on a kneeling position, the Amulet several inches above the ground.

"This is definitely it."Jesse said before he looked at everyone. "I guess it's time to start digging."

"Who knows how far down that goes?"Lukas asked, scratching his head in doubt. "We might end up digging until we hit bedrock." Jesse then glanced at Petra, Raven and Gabriel worriedly as Lukas continued. "Also, I don't think we're equipped for this."

Jesse sighed. "I don't know about you, but this might be the only shot of finding Soren that we have right now. Unless, we have better ideas of finding him, that is."He shrugged, glancing at Lukas as he waits for his answer.

"Jesse's talking to you, Lukas."Olivia pointed out as Lukas frowned in concern.

"I know that, it's just-"Lukas tried to defend when-

"KA-BOOM!"Axel suddenly exclaimed as he smashed the floor, leaving a small hole on the stone floor.

"Well, let's get started then."Jesse shrugged as he, Axel, Olivia and Lukas started to dig down the floor. Raven sighed wearily before she coughed slightly, the shivering cold coming again to her as she felt her left arm numb.

 ** _"The shivers come again, the spider dance will now begin."_** Coddi seemed to be singing... something, Raven couldn't tell what song he's singing, really. To what tune he's singing, it seems really catchy and upbeat. **_"It's really nice to play this game, my-"_**

"Coddi, I hate spiders."Raven muttered. "And how do you know that I'm freezing cold?"

 ** _"I'm in your head, Ave. Brain sensors detect that you're freezing like icebergs. So, like in our deal, I'll try to slow down the withering process... but you're still having them."_**

"Oh, yeah... right."Raven bit her lip absently in reply.

 ** _"What's the matter? Did you contract amnesia? Should I call 911? It'd be fun to see you react on the staff that I know."_**

"Coddi, are you usually that sadistic? Were you raised this way?"Raven gritted her teeth. She would save these questions really later, but Na- Coddi keeps bugging her as if her life was just a mere game to him.

What she got in reply was dead silence...

That seemed to drag on for a while. After what seemed to be an hour but it was just a few moments, Coddi whispered.

 ** _"Raven, don't."_** Coddi muttered quietly and seriously, which is unusual for Raven. Had he not be in her head, she would have to ask him say that again. **_"That's... personal."_**

"Oh, um..."Raven bit her lip again, having realized that she strayed on a sensitive topic. She didn't even expect that the goofy, ever-teasing Coddi was hiding something serious that his usual nature would chirp out. "I'm sorry?"

 ** _"Apology accepted, m'lady. Now let shall not be this conversation be spoken ever again."_** Coddi chirped in a more bubbly tone, ignoring what happened seconds ago. He's definitely hiding something, that's for sure. Did he come from a tragic background?

"Raven?"Raven blinked, her thoughts snapping as she glanced at who called her; Petra. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."Raven replied, cracking a smile to hide the serious conversation that she recently had.

"Jesse says it's safe to go down now."Petra remarked as Raven glanced at the now- large hole, that seemed to descend like a staircase. "Everyone's already down. They're only waiting for us."

"Oh, right... you go first."Raven said as the girls descended down the mock staircase. Petra was about to say something but Raven gave her a smile. "I insist."

Petra sighed, before she jumped and crouched down to get a better landing. Seeing that she's the only one left, Raven jumped, but ends up slipping on something and almost face-slamming the ground, had not Gabriel gently gripping her arm.

"Thanks."Raven mouthed, easing her breathing as she stood up, hiding her infected arm by clutching it tightly with her free hand.

"Everybody okay?"Jesse asked, looking at Raven in concern.

"I just slipped. Nothing bad about that."Raven replied when she noticed a really foul smell in the air. Was she imagining it or-

"What's that smell?"Olivia asked, covering her nose for a few moments. Nope, that foul smell is real and it stinks.

"I believe the scientific word for it is... poop."Gabriel clarified. "It's what Raven just slipped in." Olivia grinned and Axel snickered at the remark as Raven blinked her eyes thrice at the clarification.

She just slipped on poop.

She just slipped on a solid wastage of an organism.

Slipping on something would create markings on footwear.

Therefore, her feet would probably have markings of the solid wastage right now.

...

"You've got to be kidding me..."Raven deadpanned, shakily brushing her feet around the floor to remove those darn poop markings when a loud laugh rang in her mind.

"Are you laughing at me?"She inwardly hissed at Coddi.

 ** _"But, Canola Oil, that expression on your face was priceless."_**

"Right... but why did it have to be poop?"Raven muttered, her lips curled into a frown as she covered her nose.

 ** _"Beats me, sweetheart. Maybe you need to work on a better landing. Tuck and roll, may I advice."_**

"I'll... keep that in mind, mister laugh-a-lot."Raven muttered as she glanced at the group, now being led by Jesse as they walked on the tunnel. "We better catch up, then."

 ** _"We?"_**

"Might as well accept that you're sticking with me for awhile. Denying that I have a voice won't help me in the long run."Raven shrugged as she sighed, brisk walking to the group to catch up. When she finally caught up to them, she settled her walking pace to normal.

 ** _"You have a point there, Ave."_**

Raven nodded, a ghost of a smile cracking on her face as she saw Jesse softly encourage Reuben to stay close with him. As they reached the end of the tunnel, the group saw thousands of other tunnels, all of them in varrying heights, and adorned with colored wool and well-lit torches. A droning sound of smashing things together for a few seconds echoed around the area, with the sound coming far below them with an intricate machine. Yelps of surprise echoed from Axel and Lukas as the droning sound gradually became louder in Raven's ears.

"I don't suppose sensitive hearing is-"Raven tried to mutter.

 ** _"Sweetheart, no."_** Coddi replied. **_"And, watch your step if you can."_**

"But why-"

"We need to get out of here!" Before Raven could come back a reply, Olivia's scream pierced the air. Raven glanced at her in concern, a feeling of dread creeping up in her stomach.

"But we just got here!"Axel remarked.

"You don't understand..."Olivia replied as Raven glanced at one of the tunnels, the dread feeling gradually getting bigger once she realized the situation. One of the tunnels let out a wave of water with skeletons in it. The skeletons fell into droning machine below before the they were smashed into pieces, leaving arrows behind. "This is a grinder!"

"I... see what you mean, Olivia."Raven gulped aloud.

"They're meant to kill monsters. Trouble is, they can't tell the difference between monsters and people."Olivia continued.

"This can't be good."Jesse frowned as he shook his head.

"But there should be a loot room down there, right?"Axel asked.

"Uh, if we can get down there without be crushed, then yeah, maybe."Raven answered hastily, glancing around the area, hoping there was a way they could get down without being grinded.

"Just saying... not all that bad."Axel shrugged before they all heard a familiar hiss as a bunch of creepers came out of the shadows.

Raven gulped as she tried to look for another way to get in the grinder unharmed at the end of the tunnel. Keyword: tried. There were so many tunnels that she had lost count which could lead in the right-

 ** _"Easy with the head now, Ave. You're overwhelming yourself."_**

"Right, Coddi..."Raven muttered. "What, do you think another path will lay out just for-"

 **BOOM!**

The sound of an explosion pierced the air as Raven sharply turned back to her friends. There was now a hole from the tunnel, most likely coming from the creeper explosion.

 ** _"Pro tip; try to go with the flow, Ave."_** Coddi said.

"Well, how am I supposed to know that's going to happen?"Raven muttered as she saw Jesse pulled out the Amulet to look deeper into the hole, the white glow shining brightly like a flashlight.

"There he is. He's right down-"A sudden wave of water rushed towards them, carrying more creepers and intending to drag them down into the grinder.

Raven felt her foothold get carried away by the rushing current. She yelped in surprise before Gabriel steadily grabbed her arm, allowing her to implant her feet on the ground. She then mouthed a thank you to him before she saw Jesse lost grip of the Amulet, with the object slowly dropping down below.

"Well... crud."Raven muttered. "Why is luck cruel today?"

 ** _"That depends."_** Coddi shrugged as Raven looked down from the hole.

"I sometimes wonder why I did agree to your deal."Raven murmured in annoyance.

"Jesse, was that..."She heard Olivia asked.

"The amulet? Yeah..."Jesse agreed before he sighed as Raven saw him rush next to the hole, his knees bent, all ready to-

"You're going to jump, are you?" Raven bit her lip.

"Let's just... tuck and roll."Jesse replied before he jumped as he was followed by Petra, Gabriel, Reuben. It was this time Raven took a leap of faith, crouched and jumped on the ground beneath her, all the while pulling her stone sword as she did.

 ** _"See, I told you that tuck and roll advice is handy."_**

"A little too late on the advice now, aren't we?"Raven muttered, her position guarded as she saw Jesse strike a creeper, causing a wall of dirt to have a huge hole on it, revealing more mobs coming out for the group.

Raven slashed a nearby spider when it approached her before following Petra, Olivia, Lukas and Reuben. She ran as she jumped into another platform when she saw a cornered Lukas struggling to evade three skeletons shooting at him.

"Hey, bone-skulls!"The skeletons turned to her, their aim now pointing to her as they shoot at her in varying intervals.

As the first arrow flew, Raven quickly sidestepped to the other side to dodge it and bent down at the next arrow. She then stood up and began to spin around quickly with her sword in hand to deflect the third arrow. Like a small whirlwind, she spins around as quick as she can as two of the skeletons began to approach her before they were thrown at the force her sword did before she outwardly slashed the last skeleton with everything that she got.

Raven then grinned at what she did before she clutched her head with her left hand, the dizziness of spinning around finally getting to her. "I... uh, probably shouldn't have done that."She laughed weakly, massaging her head numbly to ease the dizziness.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Raven?"Lukas asked as Raven tried to get her footing stable, all the while Lukas was kicking cave spiders that tried to attack them.

"I'll be fine, trust me."Raven tried to smile, attacking a nearby spider before she turned to see Jesse duck under a jumping spider. She glanced at where the spider fell before more of them starts to come out for the three of them.

 ** _"Ave... You shouldn't have spoke too soon."_**

"I know that, okay..."Raven inwardly muttered as-

"Hold on!"Jesse yelped as a wave of water headed towards them, putting his sword away as Raven felt her foot got carried away, quickly sheathing her sword as she tried to hold on the edge of the platform as the spiders were washed off by the wave along with Jesse and Lukas.

It was not a pleasant experience.

 ** _"Why would that be, Ave? Don't tell me you enjoy it?"_**

"Agh..."Raven grunted as she pulled herself up together on the now-dry platform before unsheathing her sword. "Later, Codfish."She muttered inwardly, earning an annoyed 'Hey' from the nagging voice.

"Reuben, wait up!"She heard Jesse called his pig before she followed him along with Lukas as they crossed one of the platforms. Raven then glanced what was behind her, only to see three zombies marching forward to the group. Looking back to see Jesse helping Petra and Gabriel fighting incoming creepers, she then proceeded to fight the zombies with her sword. She was slashing at them as best as she can, turning two of them into rotten flesh before she does a quick spin and kicked the remaining zombie into deep gap that was below them.

 ** _"Why do you spin so much?"_**

"At least it was only once..."Raven rolled her eyes as she approached Lukas, only to see an incoming creeper fall on the platform. She gulped again, seeing Reuben squeal as he ran away.

"Reuben!"Raven called. She then sheathed her sword and grabbed Lukas' hand as she followed the pig and ran as fast as she could before she jumped into the next area...

And proceeded to fall flat on her face in the platform.

"Owwwie augh..."Raven groaned as she tried to stood up, using her left hand to ease her pain. She sighed in relief upon seeing Jesse and Lukas are okay.

"The amulet! It's over there!"Lukas exclaimed as he pointed several platforms below them in a stone floor. The Amulet was in there, it's white glow still shining brightly in the grinder. On a higher platform than where the Amulet was sitting, Axel and Reuben jumped into it as a stream of water flowed into it, leaving a bunch of hostile mobs before it slided to where the Amulet sat, pushing it to the edge, to the point that it could fall within any second.

"I've got to help them!"Jesse breathed as Raven glanced at the boys.

"What about the amulet?"Lukas asked.

"We'll go get it, Jesse. Go, now!"Raven encouraged as she jumped to the incoming platform, crouching steadily before she felt herself roll over as she touched the ground, her footing stable.

 ** _"See, you can tuck and roll and nothing bad will happen."_**

"I'll really keep that in mind."Raven remarked quietly as she stood up and saw Lukas hold the Amulet in glee, exclaiming that he got it. She smiled before she coughed weakly again, the shivering coming up to her again.

"Raven, are you-"Lukas tried to approach her.

"I'm fine!"Raven hastily replied. "I'm really fine! Don't worry about it."She then shrugged sheepishly before she heard a rush of water coming from the platform above them. Yelps of surprise came from Jesse and Axel as Raven saw them split and-

"Jesse!"Raven yelled as she saw Jesse about to fall in the Grinder before she coughed again from her loud shout.

 ** _"Maybe you should stay quiet for a while."_**

"No comment."Raven mumbled before she heard a loud bang from below them.

"It's safe to jump in now!"She heard Olivia noted as Raven saw her leap into the grinder, that now have a large hole in the center. Seeing everyone doing it, Raven jumped into the water smoothly as she held her breath, trying to make noise bubbles.

 ** _"Hey, Ave... I have a word of advice for you."_**

"What's that?"Raven thought, too busy trying to make air bubbles so she can breathe as she saw Reuben getting sucked into the pipes below them. She cupped her mouth in shock as she felt something sucking her also.

 ** _"Buckle up, sweetheart. You're in for a wild ride."_** That was the last words that Raven heard before everything went black.

* * *

 **Well... that happened. The Grinder fighting scene could have used for more detail, though... as Raven was tagging along with Lukas so I have to make up some of the fight scenes.**

 **So, what do you think about it? I know, It's been a while, but constructive criticism could be handy.**

 **RavenBlaze4850**


End file.
